Shotgun having an improved shotshell feeding mechanism

ABSTRACT

A shotgun includes an action that is capable of rapidly chambering a shotshell after the shotgun has run out of shotshells and is capable of allowing shotshells to be removed from the magazine without cycling the shotshells through the action.

BACKGROUND

Conventional shotguns suffer from a number of problems in a variety ofareas. The problems may be manifest in the operation and reliability ofthe action, ease of disassembly for cleaning or other purposes, abilityto load and/or unload the firearm, and the like. These problems may beespecially applicable to autoloading shotguns having semi-automatic orfully-automatic actions. The following provides some background aboutsome of the problems associated with shotguns.

Most shotguns are designed to bias or retract the firing pin rearwardwhen the bolt is unlocked. This is done for a number of reasons. Forone, it is undesirable to have the firing pin protruding forward out ofthe face of the bolt during the process of chambering a new shotshell(also referred to as a shotgun shell or shotgun cartridge). The rim ofthe shotshell may catch on the firing pin and jam the action.

Over the years, a number of different designs have been developed tobias or retract the firing pin rearward when the bolt is unlocked. Forexample, one design uses a rotary bolt that has a slot that guidesrearward movement of the firing pin. As the bolt rotates from a lockedposition to an unlocked position, the shape of the slot forces thefiring pin rearward and holds it in place until the bolt rotates back tolock with the barrel. In other designs, a spring may be used to bias thefiring pin rearward. The spring is provided with sufficient stiffness toprevent the firing pin from moving forward during routine cycling of theaction, but still allow the hammer to push the firing pin forward whenthe bolt is locked in place and the shotgun is ready to fire. Stillother designs may use a bolt assembly that is formed of a large numberof pieces that move in concert to restrain the firing pin as well asperform all of the other functions of the bolt assembly when the actioncycles.

Unfortunately, existing designs for locking the firing pin suffer from anumber of disadvantages. For example, rotary bolt designs require alonger receiver, which increases the overall length and weight of theshotgun. Also, rotary bolt designs are relatively complex in operation,which makes them more susceptible to reliability problems. Spring biasedfiring pins work well initially but may fail with heavy usage (e.g.,6,000 to 10,000 cycles of the action). The typical failure point is thespring which breaks, loses its spring, or is otherwise renderedunusable—often at the most inopportune time such as during a hunt. Boltassemblies that use large numbers of pieces are also quite complex,which renders them more susceptible to problems. They are also regardedas being weaker than other designs. Accordingly, it would be desirableto provide an improved shotgun that locks the firing pin and uses arelatively simple and strong bolt assembly.

Another problem area associated with conventional shotguns is themechanism used to couple the forearm to the remainder of the shotgun.Conventional shotguns use a cap that screws on to the end of themagazine tube to hold the forearm to the remainder of the shotgun. Inorder to remove the forearm, the cap must be completely removed throughrepeated twisting. Once removed, the cap may be easily lost, especiallyif the cap is removed in the field, e.g., in a boat while huntingwaterfowl, in tall grass while hunting upland birds, etc.

It can be especially difficult to remove the forearm from a conventionalshotgun that has a sling. Most conventional shotguns include a slingmount as part of the cap that holds the forearm to the remainder of theshot. The sling mount provides a hole that is sized to receive aconventional sling swivel that is, in turn, coupled to the sling. Thepresence of the sling makes it more difficult to rotate and remove thecap. Although it is possible to remove the cap with the sling attached,many users find it easier to detach the sling swivel then remove thecap. Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a fastening mechanismthat is easy and simple to use and is an improvement over conventionaldesigns.

Another problem area for conventional shotguns is associated with theuse of magazine plugs or magazine capacity reducers. A magazine plug isa device that is placed in the magazine of a shotgun to limit the numberof shotshells that the shotgun can hold at one time. The magazine plugis used to comply with laws that restrict the maximum number ofshotshells a shotgun can hold when the user is hunting certain speciesof game, such as waterfowl. Most of these laws allow a maximum of threeshotshells to be in the shotgun (e.g., one in the chamber and two in themagazine).

The law also requires that the shotgun must be disassembled to somedegree to place the plug into the magazine of the shotgun. In order tocomply, most shotguns are designed to require the user to remove atleast the magazine cap in order to insert the plug into the magazine. Ifit is too easy to change the capacity of the magazine, the user couldhunt with the shotgun in a high capacity setting until he sees thewarden at which time he could quickly change to the low capacitysetting.

One problem with conventional shotguns is that when the user removes themagazine cap to insert the plug, the spring inside the magazine, whichis under compression, tends to shoot out. If the user is not careful, itis possible for the spring to come completely out of the magazine andbecome lost or dirty. Another problem is that even if the spring doesn'tshoot out, the spring retainer assembly—a small device positionedbetween the spring and the cap—may shoot out or fall off and become lostor dirty.

Even if the cap is successfully removed without losing any parts, theuser must still fight the spring to get the plug into the magazine. Inorder to insert the plug, the user must compress the spring into themagazine, put the plug into position, and hold everything in place whilesimultaneously putting the cap back on the magazine. Any false moves andthe plug, spring, and/or spring retainer assembly may shoot out of themagazine. Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide an improvedshotgun and/or magazine plug that allows the magazine plug to beinserted into the magazine in an easier fashion while still complyingwith applicable laws that require disassembly of the shotgun.

Another problem area associated with convention shotguns is theshotshell feeding mechanism. The feeding mechanism is part of the actionand is used to feed shotshells from the magazine to the chamber of theshotgun. One problem with conventional feeding mechanisms arises whenthe user desires to unload the magazine. In many conventional shotguns,the user must cycle the shotshell through the action and eject theshotshell through an ejection port. Another problem arises when the userwants to quickly load the shotgun. Most conventional shotguns requirethe user to insert a shotshell into the magazine and push a button toclose the action (if it is open) or otherwise operate the action to loadthe shotshell into the chamber. These additional steps eat up time thatmay make the difference between bagging game or hitting the desiredtarget and going home empty handed or missing the target.

There are some shotguns that may have a solution for one of theseproblems alone. However, it would be desirable to provide a shotgun thatallows the user the ability to quickly load the chamber without anymanual input beyond inserting the shotshell into the magazine and toeasily unload the magazine without cycling and ejecting the shotshellthrough the ejection port.

Another problem area for conventional shotguns is associated with theuse of gas-operated actions. A gas-operated shotgun is a shotgun thatuses a portion of the high pressure gas generated when the shotshell isfired to power a mechanism to extract the spent shotshell and chamber anew shotshell. Energy from the gas is typically harnessed through a portin the barrel. The high-pressure gas enters a cylinder that contains apiston. The pressure in the cylinder causes the piston to move whichprovides motion to unlock the action, extract and eject the spentshotshell, cock the hammer, chamber a new shotshell, and lock theaction. In most gas-operated shotguns, the piston is forced rearward andthe force from the rearward motion of the piston is transferred to thebolt assembly thereby unlocking and opening the action and initiatingthe process of ejecting the spent shotshell and chambering a newshotshell. A gas-operated shotgun functions in much the same way as agas-operated rifle. However, unlike most rifles, the piston in a shotgunsurrounds the magazine.

Conventional gas-operated shotguns suffer from a number of problems.Some shotguns use O-rings to form a seal around the piston. However,this configuration is unreliable due to the constant movement of steeland O-ring against each other. Over time, excessive wear on either therubber O-ring or the steel allows the gas to leak out of the cylinder.Eventually, so much gas leaks out of the cylinder that the forcegenerated by the piston is insufficient to extract the spent shotshelland chamber a new one. Repairing the shotgun typically requiresreplacing or rebuilding the worn parts, a task that can be timeconsuming and/or expensive.

In an effort to reduce the wear, metal rings have been used in place ofO-rings. The metal rings have been fitted between the piston and themagazine tube of the shotgun. The metal rings are engineered to tighttolerances to prevent gas from leaking past the rings. Although therings successfully reduce the amount of wear, they have been lesssuccessful in preventing gas from leaking out of the cylinder. Thecombustion gas contains carbon, soot, and other solid combustionproducts. The leaking gas causes these materials to build-up on theshotgun's magazine as well as on other components. This contributes tothe negative perception of gas-operated shotguns as being dirty andrequiring frequent cleaning. Accordingly, it would be desirable todevelop a seal that reduces wear associated with movement of the pistonand still maintains a good seal to prevent gas from leaking out of thecylinder.

SUMMARY

A number of improvements to the various mechanisms and components offirearms are described herein. Although most of the improvements aredescribed in connection with shotguns, it should be appreciated that thevarious embodiments can also be applied to other types of firearms aswell. The various embodiments described herein include improved (a)firing pin locking mechanisms for firearms, (b) forearm fasteningmechanisms for firearms, (c) magazine plugs for shotguns, (d) shotshellfeeding mechanism for shotguns, and/or (e) gas-operated actions forfirearms.

In one embodiment, a shotgun comprises a chamber, a magazine, and anaction. The action includes a bolt assembly. The action is configured tomove a shotshell from the magazine to the chamber when the shotshell isinserted into the magazine and released. The action is configured toallow shotshells to be removed from the magazine without moving the boltassembly.

In another embodiment, a shotgun comprises a chamber, a magazine, and anaction. The action is configured to move between a closed position andan open position where the action is held in position. The actionincludes a carrier, a carrier latch, and a cartridge stop. The carrierincludes a first component that is used to hold the action in the openposition and a second component that is positioned to cover a loadingport of the shotgun. The carrier latch moves between a first positionwhere the carrier latch cooperates with the first component of thecarrier to hold the action in the open position and a second positionwhere the carrier latch allows the action to move from the open positionto the closed position. The cartridge stop moves between a firstposition where the cartridge stop prevents shotshells from moving out ofthe magazine and a second position where the cartridge stop allows theshotshells to move out of the magazine. The second component of thecarrier is pivotably coupled to the first component of the carrier toallow a shotshell to be inserted into the magazine when the action is inthe open position. The cartridge stop moves independently of the carrierlatch.

In another embodiment, a shotgun comprises a chamber, a magazine, and anaction configured to move shotshells from the magazine to the chamber.The action includes a cartridge stop which moves between a firstposition where the cartridge stop prevents the shotshells from movingout of the magazine and a second position where the cartridge stopallows the shotshells to move out of the magazine. The cartridge stopmoves independently of the remainder of the action. The cartridge stopis positioned in the second position when the action is fixed in an openposition.

In another embodiment, a shotgun comprises a chamber, a magazine, and anaction. The action includes a bolt assembly and is configured toautomatically move a shotshell from the magazine to the chamber when theshotshell is inserted into the magazine. The action is configured toallow shotshells to be removed from the magazine without moving the boltassembly.

It should be noted that for purposes of this disclosure, the term“coupled” means the joining of two members directly or indirectly to oneanother. Such joining may be stationary in nature or movable in nature.Such joining may be achieved with the two members or the two members andany additional intermediate members being integrally formed as a singleunitary body with one another or with the two members or the two membersand any additional intermediate member being attached to one another.Such joining may be permanent in nature or alternatively may beremovable or releasable in nature.

The foregoing and other features, utilities, and advantages of thesubject matter described herein will be apparent from the following moreparticular description of certain embodiments as illustrated in theaccompanying drawings.

DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of an autoloadingshotgun.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the bolt assembly and barrel extensionfrom the shotgun shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the bolt slide from the bolt assemblyshown in FIG. 2.

FIGS. 4 and 5 are perspective views of the bolt from the bolt assemblyshown in FIG. 2.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the firing pin from the bolt assemblyshown in FIG. 2.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the barrel extension shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 8 is a side view of the bolt assembly and the barrel extension.This Figure shows what happens when the hammer hits the firing pin.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the bolt from the bolt assembly shown inFIG. 2. This Figure shows an outline of the firing pin positioned in thebolt.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the bolt slide and bolt assembly shownin FIG. 2 just after the shotgun is fired and the bolt assembly beginsto move rearwardly away from the barrel.

FIG. 11 is a cut-away perspective side view of one embodiment of afastening mechanism that is used to fasten a forearm to the remainder ofthe shotgun. The forearm is in a first position where the forearm iscoupled to the remainder of the shotgun.

FIG. 12 is a cut-away perspective bottom view of the fastening mechanismfrom FIG. 11.

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of the forearm and the fastening mechanismfrom FIG. 11.

FIG. 14 is a cut-away perspective view of the fastening mechanism fromFIG. 11. The fastening mechanism is in a first position where theforearm is coupled to the remainder of the shotgun.

FIGS. 15 and 16 are cut-away perspective views of the fasteningmechanism from FIG. 11. The fastening mechanism is in a second positionwhere the forearm is uncoupled from the remainder of the shotgun.

FIG. 17 is a perspective view of the fastening mechanism from FIG. 11.The fastening mechanism is in the second position and a sling mount isopen and configured to receive a sling swivel.

FIG. 18 is a cross-sectional view of the fastening mechanism from FIG.11. The fastening mechanism includes a locking mechanism that is in alock position.

FIG. 19 is a cross-sectional view of the fastening mechanism from FIG.18. The locking mechanism is in an unlocked position.

FIG. 20 is a cross-sectional view of the fastening mechanism from FIG.18. The fastening mechanism is in the second position where the forearmis uncoupled from the remainder of the shotgun.

FIG. 21 is a cross-sectional view of another embodiment of a fasteningmechanism that is used to fasten the forearm to the remainder of theshotgun. The fastening mechanism is in a first position where theforearm is coupled to the remainder of the shotgun.

FIG. 22 is a cross-sectional view of the fastening mechanism from FIG.21. The fastening mechanism includes a lever that is pivoted away fromthe forearm, but the forearm is still coupled to the remainder of theshotgun.

FIG. 23 is a cross-sectional view of the fastening mechanism from FIG.21. The fastening mechanism is in a second position where the forearm isuncoupled from the remainder of the shotgun.

FIG. 24 is a cross-sectional view of the fastening mechanism from FIG.21. The fastening mechanism is still in the second position, but thelever has pivoted even further away from the forearm than it was in FIG.23.

FIG. 25 is a cross-sectional view of the fastening mechanism from FIG.21. The fastening mechanism is in the second position and the forearmhas been moved longitudinally to separate the forearm from the remainderof the shotgun.

FIG. 26 is a perspective view of another embodiment of a fasteningmechanism that is used to couple the forearm to the remainder of theshotgun.

FIGS. 27 and 28 are perspective views of the fastening mechanism fromFIG. 26 that shows the internal components of the fastening mechanismwith dotted lines.

FIG. 29 is a perspective view of a spring retainer assembly that has ahole sized to receive an anchor from the fastening mechanism from FIG.26.

FIG. 30 is a perspective view of another embodiment of a fasteningmechanism that is used to couple the forearm to the remainder of theshotgun. The fastening mechanism includes a button that is pushed toselectively couple and decouple the forearm to and from the remainder ofthe shotgun. The internal components of the fastening mechanism areshown with dotted lines.

FIG. 31 is a cut-away perspective view of the fastening mechanism fromFIG. 30. The fastening mechanism is in a first position where theforearm is coupled to the remainder of the shotgun.

FIG. 32 is a cut-away perspective view of the fastening mechanism fromFIG. 30. The fastening mechanism is shown with the button partlydepressed.

FIG. 33 is a cut-away perspective view of the fastening mechanism fromFIG. 30. The fastening mechanism is shown with the button fullydepressed so that the fastening mechanism is in a second position wherethe forearm is uncoupled from the remainder of the shotgun.

FIG. 34 is a perspective view of a spring retainer assembly that has ahole sized to receive an anchor from the fastening mechanism from FIG.30.

FIG. 35 is a perspective view of one embodiment of a magazine plug for ashotgun. The magazine plug is shown partially inserted into the magazineof the shotgun.

FIG. 36 is a perspective view of the magazine plug from FIG. 35. Themagazine plug is shown fully inserted into the magazine of the shotgun.

FIG. 37 is a perspective view of the magazine plug from FIG. 35. Themagazine plug is fully inserted into the magazine and rotated to preventthe magazine plug from coming back out of the magazine.

FIG. 38 is a perspective view of one embodiment of a spring retainerassembly for the magazine that is configured to receive the magazineplug from FIG. 35.

FIG. 39 is a partially cut-away side view of the magazine plug from FIG.35. The magazine plug is in a use position in the magazine of theshotgun.

FIG. 40 is a partially cut-away side view of the magazine plug from FIG.35. The magazine plug is shown after the magazine plug has been rotatedto allow the magazine plug to exit out of a hole in the front end of themagazine of the shotgun.

FIG. 41 is a partially cut-away side view of the magazine plug from FIG.35. The magazine plug is shown extending part of the way out of themagazine of the shotgun.

FIG. 42 is a perspective view of the receiver from the shotgun ofFIG. 1. A shotshell is shown partially inserted into the magazine of theshotgun.

FIG. 43 is a perspective view of FIG. 42 with the receiver removed toexpose the inner workings of the action.

FIG. 44 is another view of FIG. 43 from the other side of the shotgun.

FIG. 45 is a bottom view of the action from FIG. 43. The shotshell isshown fully inserted into the magazine.

FIG. 46 is a bottom view of the action from FIG. 43. The shotshell is inan inclined position just before the bolt assembly moves it into thechamber.

FIG. 47 is a side view of the action from FIG. 46. The shotshell isshown in the inclined position just before the bolt assembly moves itinto the chamber.

FIG. 48 is another view of FIG. 47 from the other side of the shotgun.

FIG. 49 is a side view of the action from FIG. 43. The bolt assembly isshown part of the way forward and the shotshell is part of the way inthe chamber.

FIG. 50 is a bottom perspective view of the receiver and action fromFIG. 1. A cartridge stop is shown holding a shotshell in the magazine ofthe shotgun.

FIG. 51 is a bottom perspective view of the receiver and action fromFIG. 50. The cartridge stop has been moved to allow the shotshell to beejected back out through the loading port of the shotgun.

FIG. 52 is a side view of one embodiment of a gas-operated action forthe shotgun from FIG. 1. The gas-operated action is shown with a sleevein a forward position prior to the shotgun being fired.

FIG. 53 is a side view of the gas-operated action from FIG. 52. Thegas-operated action is shown with the sleeve in a rearward positionafter the shotgun has been fired.

FIG. 54 is a side view of a bracket, cylinder, and piston of thegas-operated action from FIG. 52 before the shotgun is fired.

FIG. 55 is a side view of the bracket, cylinder, and piston of thegas-operated action from FIG. 52 after the shotgun is fired.

FIG. 56 is a perspective view of the sleeve and a valve of thegas-operated action from FIG. 52.

FIG. 57 is a perspective view of the valve of the gas-operated actionfrom FIG. 52.

FIGS. 58 and 59 show cut-away views of the gas-operated action from FIG.52. The high pressure gas is shown entering the cylinder of thegas-operated action.

FIGS. 60 and 61 show cut-away views of the gas-operated action from FIG.52. The high pressure gas is shown completely filling up the cylinder ofthe gas-operated action and pushing the sleeve rearward.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

A number of improvements for a firearm are described herein. Althoughthe various improvements are described in the context of autoloadingshotguns, it should be appreciated that the concepts underlying theseimprovements and the advantages provided by these improvements may alsobe applicable to other firearms such as shotguns having manual actions(e.g., pump action, break action, and the like), various automatic andmanual action rifles, and so forth. Accordingly, the improvementsdescribed herein should not be considered as being limited inapplicability to any particular embodiment of firearm. For example, theimprovements to the gas-operated shotgun may also be applicable to othergas-operated firearms. Also, it should be understood, that the features,advantages, characteristics, etc. of one embodiment may be applied to orcombined with any other embodiment to form an additional embodimentunless noted otherwise.

The embodiments described herein may include one or more of thefollowing improvements: (a) improved firing pin locking mechanisms forfirearms, (b) improved forearm fastening mechanisms for firearms, (c)improved magazine plugs for shotguns, (d) improved shotshell feedingmechanism for shotguns, and/or (e) improved gas-operated actions forfirearms. It should be understood that these embodiments may be combinedtogether in any suitable manner to create additional embodiments. Eachof these embodiments is described in greater detail as follows.

With reference to FIG. 1, a shotgun 50 includes a stock 52, a receiver54, a barrel 56, and a forearm 58. The stock 52 is coupled to thereceiver 54 and extends rearward from the receiver 54. The barrel 56 andthe forearm 58 are coupled to the receiver 54 and extend forward fromthe receiver 54. The terms rear, rearward, back, and the like are usedto refer to the general direction of the shotgun 50 where the butt 66 islocated. The terms front, forward, and the like are used to refer to thegeneral direction of the shotgun 50 where the muzzle 68 is located.

The barrel 56 includes a rib 70, a sight 72, and a barrel extension 100.The rib 70 extends along the top of the barrel 56 to the muzzle 68. Thesight 72 is a BB positioned on top of the rib 70 at the muzzle 68. Therib 70 and the sight 72 are used to aim the shotgun 72. The barrelextension 100 is a portion of the barrel 56 that extends into thereceiver 54 to hold the barrel 56 to the receiver 54.

It should be appreciated that the barrel 56 may have any of a number ofconfigurations. For example, the shotgun 50 may be configured to useother aiming devices besides the sight 72. The shotgun 50 may use ironsights or a scope instead. The scope may be mounted on the receiver 54or the barrel 56. Iron sights and scopes are especially popular to usewith shotguns that fire slugs and are used to hunt larger game, such aswhitetail deer, at relatively short distances. In other embodiments, thebarrel 56 may not include the rib 70.

The forearm 58 extends forward from the receiver 54 parallel to andunderneath the barrel 56. The forearm 58 is coupled to the barrel 56 andconceals a tubular magazine 74 (FIG. 11) that holds one or moreshotshells. Since the shotgun 50 is an autoloading shotgun, the forearm58 is fixed so that it does not move as the shotgun 50 is fired. Itshould be appreciated, however, that in other embodiments, the forearm58 may be configured to reciprocally slide forward and rearward as theshotgun 50 is fired. An example of such an embodiment is a pump shotgunwhere the forearm moves forward and rearward to cycle shotshells throughthe action.

The receiver 54 houses an action 64 that cycles shotshells through theshotgun 50. A trigger 60 and trigger guard 62 are coupled to theunderside of the receiver 54 within easy reach of the user. The action64 is a semi-automatic action that cycles shotshells through the shotgun50 as fast as the user can pull the trigger 60. It should be appreciatedthat the shotgun 50 can be configured to use any suitable action such asa fully automatic action, pump action, break action, and the like. Itshould also be appreciated that any reference to an automatic action isintended to be a collective reference to a class of actions that includeboth semi-automatic and fully-automatic actions.

The shotgun 50 may also include a sling (not shown) to allow the user toeasily carry the shotgun 50 over the user's shoulder. One end of thesling may be coupled to a front end 76 of the forearm 58, and the otherend of the sling may be coupled to the stock 52 near the butt 66.Conventional sling swivels may be used to couple the sling to theforearm 58 and the stock 52. The sling may be adjustable in length sothat it can fit any user. It should be understood that the sling canhave any of a number of suitable configurations.

The shotgun 50 may have any of a number of configurations. For example,the shotgun 50 may be any suitable gauge such as a 0.410 bore, 20 gauge,16 gauge, 12 gauge, 10 gauge, and the like. The shotgun 50 can also havea full, modified, improved cylinder, skeet, or other choke. In oneembodiment, the shotgun 50 may use a screw-in choke system that allowsthe user to change the choke depending on the circumstances. In otherembodiments, the shotgun 50 may have a detachable magazine or clip tohold the shotshells. The stock 52 of the shotgun 50 may be cut-off,folding, telescopic, or have any other suitable configuration. The stock52 and/or forearm 58 may be made of wood, metal, plastics, composites,and the like.

The action 64 of the shotgun 50 may include an improved firing pinlocking mechanism as illustrated in FIGS. 2-10. The action 64 includes abolt assembly 78 that moves reciprocally forward and rearward to cycleshotshells through the chamber of the shotgun 50. When the bolt assembly78 is in a forward position (FIG. 2), the action is closed and theshotgun 50 is ready to be fired. When the bolt assembly 78 is in arearward position, the action is open and the shotgun 50 is unable to befired.

The bolt assembly 78 includes a bolt 80, a bolt slide 82, and a boltslide link 84. The bolt slide link 84 has an elongated shape and extendsrearwardly from the bolt slide 82. The bolt slide 82 includes a base104, a first side wall 106 and a second side wall 108. The walls 106,108 extend upward from the base 104 and are positioned on oppositelongitudinal sides of the bolt slide 82 (FIG. 3). The bolt 80 is shapedto fit between the walls 106, 108 of the bolt slide 82. The bolt 80 isnot coupled to the bolt slide 82. Instead, the bolt 80 floats betweenthe walls 106, 108 of the bolt slide 82 to allow the bolt 80 to moverelative to the bolt slide 82 as the action 64 cycles. The bolt 80 iskept in position as the bolt assembly 78 moves by the walls 106, 108,the receiver 54 and the barrel extension 100.

The bolt assembly 78 also includes a firing pin 86 that extends throughthe bolt 80. The firing pin 86 has a front end 88 and a rearward end 90.The action 64 includes a hammer 94 that is positioned to strike thefiring pin 86 when the trigger 62 is pulled (FIG. 8). The bolt slidelink 84 has an elongated hole in the middle (FIG. 3) that the hammer 94passes through to reach the firing pin 86. The impact of the hammer 94moves the firing pin 86 forward inside the bolt 80 from a retractedposition where the front end 88 of the firing pin 86 is positioned belowa face 92 of the bolt 80 to an extended position where the front end 88of the firing pin 86 extends out of a face 92 of the bolt 80 (FIGS. 8and 9). As the front end 88 of the firing pin extends out of the face 92of the bolt 80, it strikes the primer of the shotshell thereby ignitingthe powder inside.

The action 64 is gas-operated, which means that gas generated fromcombustion of the powder in the shotshell is used to open the action 64and cycle a fresh shotshell into the chamber 64. The gas pressure istranslated into mechanical force that pushes the bolt slide 82 rearwardto open the action 64. As the bolt assembly 78 moves backward, the boltslide link 84 compresses a spring inside the stock 52. Once the boltassembly 78 has moved all the way back, the compressed spring pushes thebolt assembly 78 forward towards the breech. The bolt assembly 78 movesto the forward position until the action 64 is closed. It should beappreciated that the action 64 may also be an inertia operated action oroperated in any other suitable way.

As the action 64 cycles, the firing pin 86 is held in the retractedposition and prevented from moving to the extended position. The firingpin 86 is only capable of moving to the extended position when theaction 64 is closed and the bolt 80 is locked in the breech. The firingpin 86 is held in place by the bolt slide 82. In order to understand howthe bolt slide 82 holds the firing pin 86 in place, it is important tounderstand how the bolt 80 and the bolt slide 82 move as the action 64cycles.

As the action 64 cycles, the bolt 80 moves relative to the bolt slide 82to prevent the firing pin 86 from moving to the extended position exceptwhen the action 64 is closed. The bolt 80 is positioned between thewalls 106, 108 of the bolt slide 82 so that an inclined surface 110 onthe rearward end of the bolt 80 moves up and down a correspondinginclined surface 112 on the rearward end of the base 104 of the boltslide 82 (FIGS. 3 and 4). As the action 64 closes, the bolt 80 moves tothe forward position until the bolt 80 reaches the breech at which pointthe bolt 80 cannot move any further forward (FIG. 10). The bolt slide82, however, continues to move forward forcing the surface 110 on thebolt 80 to slide up the corresponding surface 112 on the bolt slide 82.The surface 112 acts as a ramp for the surface 110.

The bolt 80 includes a protrusion 98 that extends outward from the topof the bolt 80. The protrusion is used to hold the bolt 80 in a lockedposition. The upward motion of the rearward end of the bolt 80 moves theprotrusion 98 into a corresponding recess 102 in the barrel extension100. FIG. 10 shows the bolt assembly 78 just before the action 64closes. As shown in FIG. 10, the rearward end of the bolt 80 is down andthe protrusion 98 is below the recess 102. FIG. 2 shows the boltassembly 78 in the forward position when the action 64 is closed. Therearward end of the bolt 80 is up and the protrusion 98 is positioned inthe recess 102 of the barrel extension 100 to prevent the bolt 80 frommoving rearward when the shotgun 50 is fired.

A retaining member or pin 114 extends through a slot or hole 116 in thebolt 80 in a direction that is perpendicular to the firing pin 86. Theretaining member 114 also extends through a recess 118 in the firing pin86 so that the retaining member 114 moves with the firing pin 86 andholds the firing pin 86 in the bolt 80 (FIG. 6). The retaining member114 also limits the distance that the firing pin 86 can movelongitudinally to the size of the slot 116.

With reference to FIG. 2, the retaining member 114 is free to move inthe slot 116 when the action 64 is closed. Since the retaining member114 is free to move, the firing pin 86 is also free to move. When thehammer 94 strikes the firing pin 86, the firing pin 86 moves from theretracted position to the extended position to set off the shotshell.

The force of the expanding gas in the barrel 56 is translated intomechanical force that pushes the bolt slide 82 rearward. As the boltslide 82 moves rearward, the surface 110 on the bolt 80 moves down thesurface 112 on the bolt slide 82. This causes the rearward end of thebolt 80 to pivot downward. The protrusion 98 moves out of the recess 102so that the bolt 80 can move rearward with the bolt slide 82. Therearward motion of the bolt slide 82 combined with the downward motionof the bolt 80 results in the first side wall 106 being positionedadjacent to the retaining member 114 as shown in FIG. 10. The first sidewall 106 holds the retaining member 106 at the rearward end of the slot116. The first side wall 106 stays in this position until the action 64has gone through a complete cycle and closes again.

This design has a number of advantages over conventional designs. Thisdesign mechanically holds the firing pin 86 in the retracted positioninstead of relying on a spring. Also, this design does not have a largenumber of separate parts that must fit and move together which makes itmore likely that one of the parts might fail. This design also allowsthe use of a shorter and lighter receiver. Numerous other advantages canalso be identified.

The shotgun 50 may include a fastening mechanism that couples theforearm 58 to the remainder of the shotgun 50. One embodiment of afastening mechanism 120 is illustrated in FIGS. 11-20. The fasteningmechanism 120 includes a lever 122, a sling mount 124, and a lockingmechanism 126. The fastening mechanism 120 is positioned on theunderside of the forearm 58 with the sling mount 124 positioned on thefront end 76 of the forearm 58. It should be appreciated that thefastening mechanism 120 can be positioned on either side of the forearm58.

The fastening mechanism 120 moves between a first position (FIGS. 11-14)where the forearm 58 is coupled to the magazine 74 of the shotgun 50 anda second position (FIGS. 15-17) where the forearm 58 is uncoupled fromthe magazine 74. In the first position, the forearm 58 is coupled to themagazine 74 with a protrusion 130 that extends outward from the top ofthe lever 122 into a hole 132 in the underside of the magazine 74 (FIG.16). When the protrusion 130 is in the hole 132, the forearm 58 isunable to be removed from the remainder of the shotgun 50.

The fastening mechanism 120 is a lever-type fastening mechanism becausethe fastening mechanism 120 is operated with the lever 122. The userpivots the lever 122 outward and away from the underside of the forearm58 to move the fastening mechanism 120 to the second position andthereby uncouple the forearm 58 from the magazine 74 of the shotgun 50.The lever 122 is coupled to a body 146 that pivots on an axis defined bya pin 134. The pin 134 is fixed to the forearm 58 to allow the lever 122to pivot the fastening mechanism 120 relative to the forearm 58. The pin134 is positioned towards the front end 76 of the forearm 58 so that thelever 122 pivots toward the front end 78 of the forearm 58. The lever122 is configured to pivot no more than 180 degrees, or no more than 90degrees, as the fastening mechanism 120 moves from the first position tothe second position.

The lever 122 may be positioned flush with the underside of the forearm58 to prevent the lever 122 from catching on nearby objects (FIG. 13).The forearm 58 includes a recess 128 that the lever 122 is sized andshaped to receive the lever 122. The recess 128 extends further rearwardon the forearm 58 than the lever 122 to allow the user to insert afinger into the recess 128 and operate the lever 122. The flush designis advantageous because it prevents branches, brush, and other objectsfrom catching on the lever 122. However, it should be appreciated thatin other embodiments, the lever 122 may not be flush and may be furtherrecessed into or protrude outward from the forearm 58.

The locking mechanism 126 prevents the fastening mechanism 120 frommoving and allowing the forearm 58 to come loose. The locking mechanism126 must be disengaged before the fastening mechanism 120 can move fromthe first position where the forearm 58 is coupled to the magazine 74 tothe second position where the forearm 58 is uncoupled from the magazine74.

The locking mechanism 126 includes an actuation member 136, a lockingmember or pin 138, and a spring 140 (FIGS. 18-20). The actuation member136 includes a button 142 coupled to an actuation body 144. The button136 is exposed on the underside of the forearm 58 to allow the user tooperate the locking mechanism 126. The actuation body 144 extends upwardfrom the button 142 through an opening 148 in the body 146 of thefastening mechanism 120 to the locking member 138. The locking member138 is positioned vertically in a hole in the forearm 58. The lockingmember 138 extends downward and out of the hole to the actuation body144 (FIG. 18). The spring 140 is positioned between the locking member138 and the forearm 58. The spring 140 biases the locking member 138downwards toward the actuation body 144.

When the fastening mechanism 120 is in the first position and the button142 is not depressed, the spring 140 biases the locking member 138 intothe opening 148 in the body 146 of the fastening mechanism 120 (FIG.18). The locking member 138 prevents the fastening mechanism 120 frombeing able to rotate from the first position to the second position.When the button 142 is depressed, the actuation body 144 moveslengthwise upward and pushes the locking member 138 upward and out ofthe opening 148 in the body 146 (FIG. 19). With the locking member 138out of the opening 148, the fastening mechanism 120 can now rotate tomove from the first position to the second position (FIG. 20).

The locking mechanism 126 is configured to only lock the fasteningmechanism 120 when it is in the first position where the forearm 58 iscoupled to the magazine 74. The locking mechanism 126 does not lock thefastening mechanism 120 in the second position. When the fasteningmechanism 120 is moved from the second position to the first position,the locking member 138 is automatically biased into the opening 148 inthe body 146 of the fastening mechanism 120 to lock the fasteningmechanism 120 in place.

The sling mount 124 includes a hook 150 that extends outward from thebody 146 of the fastening mechanism 120 toward the front end 76 of theforearm 58 and a base 152 that is positioned below the hook 150 and ispart of the forearm 58. The hook 150 pivots as the fastening mechanism120 moves between the first position and the second position. When thefastening mechanism 120 is in the first position, the hook 150 ispositioned very close to or in contact with the base 152 to form a hole154 (FIG. 18) sized to hold a sling swivel 156 (FIG. 17). Since the hook150 and base 152 are next to each other, the sling mount 124 can beconsidered closed.

When the fastening mechanism 120 is in the second position, the hook 150and the base 152 are spaced apart from each other. The sling swivel 156may be received between the hook 150 and the base 152 (FIG. 17). Thisdesign allows the user to easily attach or remove a sling to the shotgun50 by simply pivoting the lever 122. Since the hook 150 and the base 152are spaced apart to receive the sling swivel 156, the sling mount 124can be considered open.

Another embodiment of a fastening mechanism 160 is illustrated in FIGS.21-25. The fastening mechanism 160 includes a lever 162, a sling mount164, and a catch 166. Many aspects of the fastening mechanism 160 aresimilar to the fastening mechanism 120. For example, the fasteningmechanism 160 is positioned on the underside of the forearm 58 with thesling mount 124 positioned on the front end 76 of the forearm 58 insimilar manner as the fastening mechanism 120. Also, the fasteningmechanism 160 can be positioned on either side of the forearm 58 justlike the fastening mechanism 120. Furthermore, the lever 162 may bepositioned flush with the underside of the forearm 58 just like thelever 122 is positioned flush with the underside of the forearm 58.Accordingly, it should be appreciated that much of the descriptionrelated to the fastening mechanism 120 may also apply to the fasteningmechanism 160.

The fastening mechanism 160 moves between a first position (FIG. 21)where the forearm 58 is coupled to the magazine 74 of the shotgun 50 anda second position (FIGS. 24-25) where the forearm 58 is uncoupled fromthe magazine 74. In the first position, the forearm 58 is coupled to themagazine 74 with the catch 166. The catch 166 extends through an opening168 in the front end of the magazine 74 and engages a lip 170 thatdefines the opening 168 (FIG. 21). When the catch 166 is engaged withthe lip 170, the forearm 58 is unable to be removed from the remainderof the shotgun 50. The fastening mechanism 160 includes a body 172 and asupport member 174 that extends outward from the body 172 and holds thecatch 166 in engagement with the lip 170 when the fastening mechanism160 is in the first position. The lever 162 also extends outward fromthe body 172.

The fastening mechanism 160 moves to the second position when the lever162 is pivoted outward and away from the underside of the forearm 58.The lever 162 pivots the body 172 on an axis defined by a pin 176. Thepin 176 is fixed to the forearm 58 to allow the fastening mechanism 160to pivot relative to the forearm 58. The pin 176 is positioned towardsthe front end 76 of the forearm 58 so that the lever 162 pivots towardthe front end 78 of the forearm 58. The lever 162 is configured to pivotno more than 180 degrees, or no more than 90 degrees, as the fasteningmechanism 120 moves from the first position to the second position.

The catch 166 moves between a first position where the catch 166 couplesthe forearm 58 to the magazine 74 and a second position where the catch166 does not couple the forearm 58 to the magazine 74. The catch 166 iscoupled to a body 178 that rotates on an axis defined by a pin 180. Thebody 178 is also coupled to a hook 182 that pivots with the body 178.The catch 166 includes a biasing member or spring 184 that biases thecatch 166 to the second position.

The lever 162 is used to move the fastening mechanism 160 to the secondposition. As the lever 162 pivots, the body 172 and the support member174 also move (FIGS. 21-25). As the support member 174 begins to move,the support member 174 biases the catch 166 further into engagement withthe lip 170. As the lever 162 continues to pivot, the support member 174reaches an inflection point at which the support member 174 begins tomove away from the catch 166 to allow the catch 166 to disengage fromthe lip 170 (FIG. 22). The biasing member 184 biases the catch 166 tothe second position as the support member 174 pivots away from the catch166.

The fastening mechanism 160 is lever-type fastening mechanism thatoperates like a toggle. Instead of having an affirmative lockingmechanism like the fastening mechanism 120, the fastening mechanism 160is configured so that the force necessary to pivot the lever 162initially increases, reaches a maximum, and then decreases. The initialincreasing force required to pivot the lever 162 is sufficient to keepthe fastening mechanism 160 from inadvertently moving to the secondposition where the forearm 58 is uncoupled from the magazine 74.

The sling mount 164 operates in a similar fashion to the sling mount124. The hook 182 moves with the body 178 and the catch 166 from a firstposition where the hook 182 is positioned adjacent to a base 186 and asecond position where the hook 182 is spaced apart from the base 186.The base is fixed to the forearm 58 and does not move. When the hook 182is in the first position, the sling mount 164 is closed (FIG. 21). Whenthe hook 182 is in the second position, the sling mount 164 is open.(FIGS. 24-25).

Another embodiment of a fastening mechanism 200 is illustrated in FIGS.26-29. The fastening mechanism 200 is used to couple the forearm 58 tothe remainder of the shotgun 50. The fastening mechanism 200 ispositioned on the front end 76 of the forearm 58. However, it should beappreciated that fastening mechanism 200 can also be positioned on thesides of the forearm 58 or in any other suitable location.

The fastening mechanism 200 moves between a first position where thefastening mechanism 200 couples the forearm 58 to the remainder of theshotgun 50 and a second position where the fastening mechanism 200 doesnot couple the forearm 58 to the remainder of the shotgun 50. In thesecond position, the forearm 58 can be removed from the shotgun 50. Thefastening mechanism 200 rotates to move between the first position andthe second position. In one embodiment, the fastening mechanism 200rotates no more than 180 degrees, or no more than 90 degrees to movefrom the first position to the second position.

The fastening mechanism 200 includes a rotatable member or cap 202, ananchor 204, a support body 206, a sling mount 208, and a biasing memberor spring 210. The support body 206 is fixed inside the rotatable member202 so that the support body 206 rotates with the rotatable member. Thesupport body 206 is coupled to the anchor 204. Rotation of the rotatablemember 202 also rotates the support body 206 and the anchor 204.

The anchor 204 is shaped to fit through a hole or opening 212 in aspring retainer assembly 214 of the magazine 74 (FIGS. 28 and 29). Theanchor 204 and the hole 212 both have an elongated shape. The anchor 204can only pass through the hole 212 when the anchor 204 and the hole 212are lined up.

The forearm 58 is coupled to the magazine 74 by lining up the anchor 204with the hole 212, inserting the anchor 204 through the hole 212, androtating the anchor 204 approximately 90 degrees to a position where theanchor 204 is perpendicular to the hole 212. When the anchor 204 isperpendicular to the hole 212, the fastening mechanism 200 is in thefirst position and the forearm 58 is coupled to the magazine 74. Whenthe anchor 204 is parallel to the hole 212, the fastening mechanism 200is in the second position and the forearm 58 is uncoupled from themagazine 74.

The anchor 204 rotates against an inner surface 216 of the springretainer assembly 214 (FIG. 29). The inner surface 216 is shaped to havean initial incline to a halfway point where the inner surface 216 thendeclines to a final resting position for the anchor 204. Rotating theanchor 204 over the inner surface 216 forces the anchor 204 further intothe magazine 74. This causes the rotatable member 202 to also movetoward the forearm 58 and compress the biasing member 210. As the anchor204 slides up the initial incline of the inner surface 216, the amountof force necessary to turn the rotatable member 202 increases. Once theanchor 204 reaches the declining portion of the inner surface 216, theforce necessary to turn the rotatable member 202 decreases until theanchor 204 reaches the final resting position where the anchor isperpendicular to the hole 212. The anchor 204 rotates back to beparallel to with the hole 212 in a similar fashion.

This design prevents the fastening mechanism 200 from inadvertentlycoming loose in the field. The force required to rotate the rotatablemember 202 and overcome the biasing member 210 is sufficient to preventthe fastening mechanism 200 from coming undone inadvertently, but is notso great that it makes it difficult to rotate the rotatable member 202.Since threaded connections are not used, the rotatable member 202 onlyneeds to be rotated a small amount.

The sling mount 208 is coupled to the rotatable member 202. In oneembodiment, the sling mount 208 rotates freely relative to the rotatablemember 202. In another embodiment, the sling mount 208 may be fixed tothe rotatable member 202 so that the sling mount 208 does not rotaterelative to the rotatable member 202.

It should be appreciated that the fastening mechanism 200 may bemodified in any of a number of suitable ways to provide additionalembodiments that are of a similar nature. For example, in oneembodiment, the inner surface 216 of the spring retainer assembly 214may be flat. In another embodiment, the anchor 204 and the correspondinghole 212 may have a different shape so long as it is possible to rotatethe anchor 204 so that in one position the anchor 204 is unable to exitthe hole 212 and in another position the anchor 204 is able to exit thehole 212.

Another embodiment of a fastening mechanism 220 is illustrated in FIGS.30-34. The fastening mechanism 220 is used to couple the forearm 58 tothe remainder of the shotgun 50. The fastening mechanism 220 ispositioned on the front end 76 of the forearm 58. However, it should beappreciated that the fastening mechanism 220 can also be positioned onthe sides of the forearm 58 or in any other suitable location.

The fastening mechanism 220 moves between a first position where thefastening mechanism 220 couples the forearm 58 to the remainder of theshotgun 50 and a second position where the fastening mechanism 220 doesnot couple the forearm 58 to the remainder of the shotgun 50. In thesecond position, the forearm 58 can be removed from the shotgun 50.

The fastening mechanism 200 includes a fastening member 222, an anchor224, and a support member or pin 226. The anchor 224 is coupled to thefastening member 222. The support member 226 is stationary and extendsthrough a hole 228 in the forearm 58. The fastening member 222 has aspiral shaped groove 230 cut through it to receive the support member226. The forearm 58 includes a tip 232 that can move lengthwise whilethe remainder of the forearm 58 remains stationary. The support member226 is positioned in the tip 232 so that as the tip moves lengthwise,the support member 226 rotates the fastening member 222 and,consequently, the anchor 224.

The anchor 224 is shaped to fit through a hole or opening 234 in aspring retainer assembly 236 of the magazine 74 (FIGS. 31-34). It shouldbe noted that the spring retainer assembly 236 is very similar to thespring retainer assembly 214 described previously. The anchor 224 andthe hole 234 both have an elongated shape. The anchor 224 can only passthrough the hole 234 when the anchor 224 and the hole 234 are lined up.

The forearm 58 is coupled to the magazine 74 by lining up the anchor 224with the hole 234 and moving the tip 232 of the forearm 58 rearward ontothe remainder of the forearm 58. As the tip 232 moves rearward, thesupport member 226 rotates the fastening member 222 and the anchor 224.The groove 230 may be sized to rotate the fastening member 222 and theanchor 224 approximately 90 degrees as the tip 232 moves forward and/orrearward. The anchor 224 moves from being parallel to the hole 234 tobeing perpendicular to the hole 234. When the anchor 224 isperpendicular to the hole 234, the fastening mechanism 220 is in thefirst position and the forearm 58 is coupled to the magazine 74. Whenthe anchor 224 is parallel to the hole 234, the fastening mechanism 220is in the second position and the forearm 58 is uncoupled from themagazine 74.

The anchor 224 rotates against an inner surface 238 of the springretainer assembly 236 (FIG. 34). The inner surface 238 is shaped to havean initial incline to a halfway point where the inner surface 238 thendeclines to a final resting position for the anchor 224. Rotating theanchor 224 over the inner surface 238 forces the anchor 224 further intothe magazine 74. This causes the fastening member 222 to try to movetoward the forearm 58. As the anchor 224 slides up the initial inclineof the inner surface 238, the amount of force necessary to continue tomove the tip 232 lengthwise increases. Once the anchor 224 reaches thedeclining portion of the inner surface 238, the force necessary to movethe tip 232 lengthwise decreases until the anchor 224 reaches the finalresting position where the anchor is perpendicular to the hole 234. Theanchor 224 rotates back to be parallel to with the hole 234 in a similarfashion.

This design prevents the fastening mechanism 220 from inadvertentlycoming loose in the field. The force required to move the tip 232 of theforearm 58 forward and overcome the resistance caused by the anchor 224moving up the inclined inner surface 238 is sufficient to prevent thefastening mechanism 220 from coming undone inadvertently, but is not sogreat that it makes it difficult to move the tip 232 lengthwise. Sincethreaded connections are not used, the rotatable member 202 only needsto be rotated a small amount.

It should be appreciated that the fastening mechanism 220 may bemodified in any of a number of suitable ways to provide additionalembodiments that are of a similar nature. For example, in oneembodiment, the inner surface 238 of the spring retainer assembly 236may be flat. In another embodiment, the anchor 224 and the correspondinghole 234 may have a different shape so long as it is possible to rotatethe anchor 224 between one position where the anchor 224 is unable toexit the hole 234 and another position where the anchor 224 is able toexit the hole 234.

A magazine plug 250 may be positioned in the magazine 74 of the shotgun50 to reduce its capacity. One embodiment of the magazine plug 250 asillustrated in FIGS. 35-41. The magazine plug 250 is designed to havesufficient length to reduce the capacity of the magazine 74 to twoshotshells. With the magazine plug 250 in place, the shotgun 50 holds atotal of three shotshells—one in the chamber and two in the magazine 74.

It should be appreciated that the magazine plug 250 may be any suitablelength depending on the length and the desired capacity of the magazine74. In one embodiment, a single magazine plug 250 may be used forshotguns (e.g., 12 gauge shotgun) that fire 2¾ A inch shotshells, 3 inchshotshells, or 3½ inch shotshells. In another embodiment, the length ofthe magazine plug 250 may depend on the length of the shotshells thatare used with the shotgun 50.

The magazine plug 250 may be used with any suitable shotgun 50. In orderto comply with local laws regulating the capacity of the magazine 74, itis usually necessary to require some amount of disassembly of theshotgun 50 to add or remove the magazine plug 250. In one embodiment,the shotgun 50 may be designed so that it is necessary to remove atleast a magazine cap to add or remove the magazine plug 250. In anotherembodiment, the shotgun 50 may be designed so that it is necessary toremove the forearm 58 to add or remove the magazine plug 250.

The magazine 74 has a tubular shape and extends outward and forward fromthe receiver 54 (FIG. 35). The magazine 74 includes a spring 252 and aspring retainer assembly 254. The spring retainer assembly 254 ispositioned at a front end 257 of the magazine 74 to hold the spring 252inside the magazine 74. The spring 252 is used to bias shotshells in themagazine 74 towards the receiver 54.

The spring retainer assembly 254 includes a spring retainer member 262(FIG. 38) and a washer 266 (FIGS. 39-41). The spring retainer member 262has an elongated opening 264 at the front end 257 of the magazine 74.The washer 266 has an elongated opening 268. The major axis of theopening 268 is smaller than the major axis of the opening 264, and theminor axis of the opening 268 is approximately the same as the minoraxis of the opening 264.

The magazine plug 250 has a first end 256, a second end 258, and anintermediate body portion 260 positioned between the first end 256 andthe second end 258. The magazine plug 250 has an elongatedcross-sectional shape that corresponds to the elongated shape of theopening 264 in the spring retainer member 262. The cross-sectional shaperefers to the shape of a plane that extends through the magazine plug250 in a direction that is perpendicular to a lengthwise axis of themagazine plug 250.

The magazine 74 is configured to receive the magazine plug 250 throughthe opening 264 in the spring retainer member 262. The opening 264 issized to allow both the first end 256 and the second end 258 to passthrough when the magazine plug 250 is in a first orientation where themagazine plug 250 parallel to the opening 264. The opening 264 is sizedto prevent the magazine plug 264 from passing through when the magazineplug 250 is in a second orientation where the magazine plug 250 isperpendicular to the opening 264.

It should be appreciated that the magazine plug 250 and the opening 264can have any suitable cross-sectional shape so long as the magazine plug250 can be rotated between the first orientation where the magazine plug250 can move longitudinally into and out of the opening 264 in themagazine 74 and the second orientation where the magazine plug 250 isprevented from moving longitudinally out of the opening 264 in themagazine 74. In one embodiment, the magazine plug 250 has across-sectional shape where opposite sides of the cross-sectional shapedo not correspond to each other when the opposite sides are dividedalong any straight line that extends perpendicularly through a centeraxis of the magazine plug 250. The lack of correspondence between theopposing sides makes it so that the magazine plug 250 can be rotatedbetween the first orientation and the second orientation.

The major axis of the second end 258 of the magazine plug 250 is smallerthan the major axis of the first end 256 of the magazine plug 250 (FIG.35). The minor axis of the second end 258 is approximately the same sizeas the minor axis of the first end 256. Thus, the second end 258 can fitthrough any hole or opening that the first end 256 can fit through.However, the first end 256 cannot fit through any hole or opening thatthe second end 258 can fit through because the first end 256 has alarger major axis.

The difference in the sizes of the major axes of the first end 256 andthe second end 258 make it so that the second end 258 can pass throughthe opening 268 in the washer 266 but the first end 256 can't. Thesecond end 258 passes through both the spring retainer member 262 andthe washer 266. However, the first end 256 is sandwiched between thespring retainer member 262 and the washer 266 (FIGS. 39 and 40). Thespring 252 is positioned on the rearward side of the washer 266 andbiases the washer 266 towards the spring retainer member 262.

The magazine plug 250 includes a recess 270 that is sized to receive atool that can be used to push the magazine plug 250 into the magazine 74and rotate the magazine plug 250 (FIG. 35). In one embodiment, therecess 270 may be sized to receive a conventional car key. The car keycan be inserted into the recess 270 and used to rotate the magazine plug250 as part of the process of inserting or removing the magazine plug250.

The magazine plug 250 is inserted into and removed from the magazine 74as follows. The second end 258 is inserted through the openings 264, 268in the spring retainer member 262 and the washer 266, respectively, andinto the magazine 74 as shown in FIG. 35. The magazine plug 250 ispositioned inside and parallel to the spring 252. A tool is insertedinto the recess 270 and the first end 256 is pushed through the opening264, but not through the opening 268 (FIG. 36). The first end 256 isinserted far enough beyond the opening 264 to be able to rotate freely.

The tool is used to rotate the magazine plug 250 from a firstorientation where the magazine plug 250 is positioned parallel to theopening 264 to a second orientation where the magazine plug 250 ispositioned perpendicular to the opening 264 (FIG. 37). The tool isremoved and the spring 252 biases the first end 256 of the magazine plug250 into a recess 272 on the backside of the spring retainer member 262to prevent the magazine plug 250 from inadvertently coming loose (FIG.39). The magazine plus 250 is now in an operable position and theshotgun 50 can be reassembled and fired.

The magazine plug 250 may be removed by reversing the process steps usedto insert the magazine plug 250. FIGS. 39-41 illustrate the process ofremoving the magazine plug 250. It should be noted that FIGS. 39-40 showthe first end 256 of the magazine plug 250 sandwiched between the washer266 and the spring retainer member 262.

It should be appreciated that the design of the magazine plug 250 and/orthe magazine 74 may be altered in any of a number of ways to provideadditional embodiments. For example, the cross-sectional shape of themagazine plug 250 may be changed from an elongated shape to any othershape as long as the shape allows the magazine plug 250 to be rotatedbetween the first orientation and the second orientation.

The action 64 of the shotgun 50 is designed to allow the user to rapidlyload a shotshell into the chamber when the shotgun 50 is empty and toeasily remove shotshells from the magazine 74 when the shotgun 50 isunloaded. The shotgun 50 is configured so that when the last shotshellhas been ejected, the action 64 remains open. Another shotshell can bequickly chambered by inserting the shotshell into the magazine 74 andreleasing it. The shotshell does not stay in the magazine 74. Instead,the shotshell is automatically cycled through the action 64 andchambered. The magazine 74 can then be filled with additionalshotshells. The action 64 is also designed to allow shotshells to beeasily removed from the magazine 74 without cycling the action 64.

The action 64 is illustrated in FIGS. 42-51. The action 64 includes thebolt assembly 78, a loading port 300, an ejection port 302, a carrier304, a carrier latch 306, and a cartridge stop 308. The bolt assembly 78between the forward position and the rearward position as the action 64cycles another shotshell into the chamber. The loading port 300 ispositioned on the underside of the receiver 54 (FIG. 42). Shotshells areinserted into the magazine 74 through the loading port 300. The ejectionport 302 is positioned on the side of the receiver 54 (FIG. 42).Shotshells that have cycled through the chamber are ejected through theejection port 302.

The carrier 304 includes a first component 310 and a second component312. The first component 310 selectively holds the action 64 open incooperation with the carrier latch 306. The second component 312 coversthe loading port 300 and lifts the shotshell into the pathway of thebolt assembly 78 as it moves to the forward position. The firstcomponent 310 and the second component 312 are pivotably coupledtogether around an axis 314 (FIG. 44). The first component 310 and thesecond component 312 can be pivoted together or independently of eachother.

The operation of the first component 310 of the carrier 304 to hold theaction 64 open is illustrated in FIGS. 43-45. The first component 310 iscoupled to a pivot member 316 that extends between the first component310 and the bolt slide 82 (FIG. 44). In the open position, the action 64is biased forward by a spring (not shown) acting on the bolt slide link84. However, the pivot member 316 is holding the bolt slide 82 and,consequently, the bolt assembly 78 from moving forward. In order for thebolt assembly 78 to move forward, the pivot member 316 must movedownward and the portion of the first component 310 that is on theopposite side of the axis 314 from the pivot member 316 must moveupward.

The carrier latch 306 is positioned directly above the first component310 to prevent the first component 310 from moving upward and releasingthe bolt assembly 78 to move to the forward position (FIGS. 43 and 45).The only way to release the bolt assembly 78 is to move the carrierlatch 306 to allow the first component 310 of the carrier 304 to moveupward. A biasing member 322 is positioned to bias the carrier latchaway from the receiver housing and toward the first component 310.

The carrier latch 306 pivots on an axis 318 (FIG. 45). One way to movethe carrier latch 306 out of the way is by pushing the carrier releasebutton 320. Pushing the carrier release button 320 releases the boltassembly 78 to move to the forward position. The carrier release button320 may be pressed to close the action 64 without loading a freshshotshell into the chamber.

Another way to move the carrier latch 306 is to eject a shotshell fromthe magazine 74 rearward between the carrier latch 306 and the receiver54. The shotshell is larger than the available space between the carrierlatch 306 and the receiver 54. Because of this, the shotshell biases thecarrier latch 306 out of the way of the first component 310 of thecarrier 304, thus releasing the bolt assembly 78 to move to the forwardposition.

The process of loading the chamber of the shotgun 50 after it has runout of shotshells is described in the following. With the action 64 heldopen, a new shotshell is inserted into the magazine 74. Because theaction 64 is held open, the first component 310 of the carrier is heldin the position shown in FIG. 43 and cannot move. However, the secondcomponent 312 can pivot on axis 314 independently of the first component310. Thus, the second component 312 can be pivoted upward to allow ashotshell to be inserted into the magazine 74. The shotshell is insertedfar enough into the magazine 74 to clear the second component 312 andallow it to swing back downward out of the way where it covers theloading port 300 (FIG. 45).

The cartridge stop 308 is coupled to the carrier latch 306 so that thecartridge stop 308 pivots with the carrier latch 306 in mostcircumstances. Since the carrier latch 306 is biased away from thereceiver 58, the cartridge stop 308, being on the other side of thepivot axis 318, is positioned close to the receiver 58. The cartridgestop 308 is positioned close enough to the receiver 58 that thecartridge stop 308 does not hold the shotshell in the magazine 74.

Once the second component 312 is out of the way, the shotshell isreleased by user's hand. Upon being released, the shotshell isimmediately biased backwards toward the carrier latch 306 by the spring252 in the magazine 74. The shotshell pushes the carrier latch 306 tothe side as it moves rearward (FIG. 46 shows the carrier latch 306 outof the way of the first component 310). With the carrier latch 306 outof the way, the first component 310 is free to pivot upward as the boltassembly 78 begins to move forward. As the first component 310 of thecarrier 304 moves upward, it catches the second component 312 and movesit upward as well. As the second component 312 rises, it carries theshotshell until the shotshell reaches the position shown in FIGS. 47 and48. The bolt assembly 78 catches and chambers the shotshell as the boltassembly 78 moves forward (FIG. 49).

This entire process goes very fast from the time the user releases theshotshell in the magazine 74. From the time of release, the movement ofthe action 64 to chamber the shotshell is almost instantaneous.

The cartridge stop 308 may be coupled to the carrier latch 306 in amanner that allows the shotshells to be ejected from the magazine 74through the loading port 300 without cycling the action 64. Thecartridge stop 308 is pivotably coupled to the carrier latch 306 at anaxis 324 (FIG. 48) in such a manner that the cartridge stop 308 can onlypivot independently one way relative to the carrier latch 306—toward thereceiver 54. The cartridge stop 308 can only pivot away from thereceiver 54 in conjunction with the carrier latch 306. The cartridgestop includes a one-way member 326 that extends past the pivot axis 324and acts to prevent the cartridge stop 308 from pivoting away from thereceiver 54 independently of the carrier latch 306. However, thecartridge stop 308 can pivot towards the receiver 54 independently ofthe carrier latch 306. It should be noted that depressing the carrierrelease button 320 moves both the cartridge stop 308 and the portion ofthe carrier latch 306 that is on the same side of the axis 318 as thecartridge stop 308 away from the receiver 54 and further into theloading port 300.

Shotshells in the magazine 74 may be removed without cycling the action64 as follows. The second component 312 of the carrier 304 is depressedinto the loading port 300 to allow the shotshells to eject out of theloading port 300 (FIG. 50. The cartridge stop 308 can then be pivotedtoward the receiver 54 by pushing it with the user's finger until theshotshell is free to exit the magazine 74. The shotshell is biased outof the magazine 74 by the spring 252 (FIG. 51).

The action 64 of the shotgun 50 is gas-operated, which means that gasgenerated from combustion of the powder in the shotshell is used to openthe action 64 and cycle a fresh shotshell into the chamber 64. The gaspressure is translated into mechanical force that pushes the bolt slide82 rearward to open the action 64. As the bolt assembly 78 movesbackward, the bolt slide link 84 compresses a spring inside the stock52. Once the bolt assembly 78 has moved all the way back, the compressedspring pushes the bolt assembly 78 forward towards the breech. The boltassembly 78 moves to the forward position until the action 64 is closed.

The action 64 includes an improved gas-operated mechanism to providemechanical force to push the bolt slide 82 rearward and cycle the action64 as illustrated in FIGS. 52-61. The action 64 includes a bracket 350coupled to the barrel 56 that channels high pressure gases through oneor more ports or holes 351 to a cylinder 352. The high pressure gasesmove a piston 354 rearward in the cylinder 352 (FIGS. 54-55, 59 and 61).The piston 354 is coupled to a sleeve 356 that surrounds the magazine 74(FIG. 56). The sleeve 356 is coupled to a rod 358 that extends into thereceiver 54 (FIG. 56). The piston 354 drives the sleeve 356 and the rod358 rearward when the shotgun 50 is fired. The rod 358 is positioned topush the bolt slide 82 rearward and cycle the action 64.

The piston 354 includes a valve mechanism 360 that is used to releaseexcess gas pressure from the cylinder 352. The size of the load in theshotshell determines how much gas pressure builds up in the cylinder352. The shotgun 50 is designed to fire the lightest loads up to theheaviest magnum loads and still cycle the action 64 without fail. Forexample, if the shotgun 50 is a twelve gauge shotgun, it may beconfigured to fire the lightest 2¼ inch shotshell as well as the largest3½ inch magnum shotshell. Since the lightest shotshells move the piston354 all the way rearward and operate the action 64, the larger magnumshotshells often provide too much high pressure gas. The valve mechanism360 releases excess pressure from the cylinder 352 to prevent theshotgun 50 from being damaged.

The valve mechanism 360 includes a valve 362 and a biasing member orspring 364 (FIGS. 56-61). The biasing member 364 biases the valve 362toward the cylinder 352. If the pressure in the cylinder 352 exceeds theforce of the biasing member 364, then the valve 362 is pushed rearwardand the excess gas escapes through holes 366 in the side of the piston354. Once the pressure drops below the force of the biasing member 364,the valve 362 closes.

The cylinder 352 has an inner wall 368 formed by the magazine 74 and anouter wall 370 formed by the bracket 350 (FIGS. 59 and 61). When theshotgun 50 is assembled, the cylinder 352 is formed when the magazine 74is inserted through the bracket 350. Because the cylinder 352 surroundsthe magazine 74, the cylinder 352 and the piston 354 have an annularshape. A resilient member 372 is positioned between the bracket 350 andthe magazine 74 to seal the forward end of the cylinder 352 and preventgases from escaping (FIGS. 54-55, 59, and 61). In one embodiment, theresilient member 372 is made of an elastomeric material such as rubberand the like. The resilient member 372 may be an O-ring that ispositioned between the magazine 74 and the bracket 350. The magazine 74and the bracket 350 do not move relative to each other when the shotgun50 is fired. The lack of movement alleviates concerns that the resilientmember 372 may degrade over time or that the area may experience unduewear.

The interface between the piston 354 and the outer wall 370 of thecylinder is sealed with a sealing ring 374 (FIGS. 57, 59, and 61). Thesealing ring 374 extends around the outer circumference of the piston354 and prevents gas from escaping between the piston 354 and the outerwall 370 of the cylinder 352. The sealing ring 374 moves with the piston354 as it reciprocates forward and rearward with each shot. The sealingring 374 may be made of any suitable material. In one embodiment, thesealing ring 374 is made of metal such as steel that is highly resistantto wear.

The interface between the valve 362 of the piston 354 and the innersurface 368 of the cylinder 352 is sealed with a sealing ring 376. Thesealing ring 376 extends around an interior circumference of the piston354 and prevents gas from escaping between the piston 354 and the innerwall 368 of the cylinder 352. The sealing ring 376 moves with the pistonas it reciprocates forward and rearward with each shot.

A resilient member 378 is positioned between the sealing ring 376 andthe valve 362 of the piston 354 (FIGS. 59 and 61). The resilient member378 prevents gas from escaping behind the sealing ring 376 and biasesthe sealing ring 376 against the inner wall 368 of the cylinder 352 toprovide a tighter seal. The resilient member 378 is not placed againstany surfaces that move relative to the resilient member 378, althoughthe resilient member 378 moves with the piston 354. Thus, the benefitsof using the resilient member 378 are retained, but the disadvantagesare gone. The resulting seal is superior to the sealing ring 376 alone.In one embodiment, the resilient member 372 is made of an elastomericmaterial such as rubber and the like. The resilient member 372 may be anO-ring that is positioned between the magazine 74 and the bracket 350.

The sealing ring 376 and the resilient member 378 are positioned in arecess in the piston 354. However, it should be appreciated that thesealing ring 376 and the resilient member 378 may be positioned in arecess in the inner wall 368 of the cylinder.

It should be appreciated that the gas-operated mechanism of the action64 may have numerous other designs as well. For example, the cylinder352 may be positioned so that it does not surround the magazine 74 andhave an annular shape. In this embodiment, the cylinder 352 would nothave an inner wall 368 because the piston 354 fills up the entire spacein the cylinder 352. This design is similar to conventional pistons andcylinders used in combustion engines. In another embodiment, a resilientmember may be positioned between the piston 354 and the sealing ring 374to provide a better seal between the piston 354 and the outer wall 370of the cylinder 352. Other changes and modifications may also be made.

Illustrative Embodiments

Reference is made in the following to a number of illustrativeembodiments of the subject matter described herein. The followingembodiments illustrate only a few selected embodiments that may includethe various features, characteristics, and advantages of the subjectmatter as presently described. Accordingly, the following embodimentsshould not be considered as being comprehensive of all of the possibleembodiments. Also, features and characteristics of one embodiment mayand should be interpreted to equally apply to other embodiments or beused in combination with any number of other features from the variousembodiments to provide further additional embodiments, which maydescribe subject matter having a scope that varies (e.g., broader, etc.)from the particular embodiments explained below. Accordingly, anycombination of any of the subject matter described herein iscontemplated.

In one embodiment, an autoloading shotgun comprises: a firing pin thatmoves between an extended position and a retracted position; and a boltassembly that moves between a forward position where the firing pin iscapable of moving to the extended position to allow the shotgun to befired and a rearward position where the firing pin is held in theretracted position and is unable to move to the extended position;wherein the firing pin moves between the extended position and therefracted position without being biased by a spring. The bolt assemblymay include a bolt and a bolt slide, and the bolt slide may hold thefiring pin in the refracted position when the bolt assembly is in therearward position. The autoloading shotgun may comprises a retainingmember that is coupled to the firing pin, the retaining member beingpositioned in a slot in the bolt assembly and being used to hold thefiring pin in the retracted position when the bolt assembly is in therearward position. The bolt assembly may include a bolt and a boltslide, and the bolt slide may hold the firing pin in the refractedposition when the bolt assembly is in the rearward position. The boltassembly may include a bolt and a bolt slide, and the bolt and the boltslide may move relative to each other between a first position where thefiring pin is capable of moving to the extended position and a secondposition where the bolt slide holds the firing pin in the refractedposition and prevents the firing pin from moving to the extendedposition. The bolt assembly may include a bolt and a bolt slide, and thebolt may pivot toward the bolt slide to move from a first position wherethe firing pin is capable of moving to the extended position to a secondposition where the bolt slide holds the firing pin in the retractedposition and prevents the firing pin from moving to the extendedposition.

According to another embodiment, a shotgun comprises: a bolt slideincluding opposing walls that extend upward; a bolt positioned betweenthe opposing walls of the bolt slide; and a firing pin that extendsthrough the bolt and moves between an extended position and a refractedposition; wherein the bolt moves between a forward position where thefiring pin is capable of moving to the extended position to allow theshotgun to be fired and a rearward position where the bolt slide holdsthe firing pin in the retracted position and prevents the firing pinfrom moving to the extended position. At least one of the opposing wallsof the bolt slide may be used to hold the firing pin in the retractedposition and prevent the firing pin from moving to the extendedposition. The shotgun may comprise a retaining member configured to movewith the firing pin as the firing pin moves between the extendedposition and the retracted position, and the bolt slide may bepositioned adjacent to the retaining member to hold the firing pin inthe retracted position and prevent the firing pin from moving to theextended position. The retaining member may be positioned in a slot inthe bolt. The bolt and the bolt slide may move relative to each otherbetween a first position where the firing pin is capable of moving tothe extended position and a second position where at least one of theopposing walls of the bolt slide holds the firing pin in the retractedposition and prevents the firing pin from moving to the extendedposition. The bolt may pivot toward the bolt slide to move from a firstposition where the firing pin is capable of moving to the extendedposition to a second position where the bolt slide holds the firing pinin the retracted position and prevents the firing pin from moving to theextended position. The firing pin may move between the extended positionand the retracted position without being biased by a spring.

According to another embodiment, a shotgun comprises: a bolt and a boltslide; a firing pin that extends through the bolt and moves between anextended position and a retracted position; and a retaining memberpositioned transverse to the firing pin and configured to move with thefiring pin as the firing pin moves between the extended position and theretracted position; wherein the bolt moves between a forward positionwhere the firing pin is capable of moving to the extended position toallow the shotgun to be fired and a rearward position where the boltslide holds the firing pin in the retracted position and prevents thefiring pin from moving to the extended position. The bolt slide may notbe in contact with the retaining member when the bolt is in the forwardposition. The retaining member may be positioned in a slot in the bolt.The bolt may pivot relative to the bolt slide as the bolt moves betweenthe forward position and the rearward position. The firing pin may movebetween the extended position and the retracted position without beingbiased by a spring. The retaining member may be coupled to the bolt, andthe bolt may pivot toward the bolt slide as the bolt slide movesrearward until the bolt slide is positioned adjacent to the retainingmember to hold the firing pin in the retracted position and to preventthe firing pin from moving to the extended position. The bolt may bepositioned between opposing walls of the bolt slide, and at least one ofthe walls of the bolt slide may be positioned adjacent to the retainingmember to hold the firing pin in the retracted position and to preventthe firing pin from moving to the extended position.

In one embodiment, a shotgun comprises: a forearm; and a lever-typefastening mechanism that couples the forearm to the remainder of theshotgun; wherein the lever-type fastening mechanism includes a slingmount. The lever-type fastening mechanism may move between a firstposition where the forearm is coupled to the remainder of the shotgunand the sling mount is closed and a second position where the forearm isuncoupled from the remainder of the shotgun and the sling mount is open.The lever-type fastening mechanism may pivots no more than 180 degreesas the lever-type fastening mechanism moves between a first positionwhere the forearm is coupled to the remainder of the shotgun and asecond position where the forearm is uncoupled from the remainder of theshotgun. The lever-type fastening mechanism may be positioned on anunderside of the forearm. The lever-type fastening mechanism may includea locking mechanism that locks the lever-type fastening mechanism inplace when the forearm is coupled to the remainder of the shotgun. Thelocking mechanism may include a button that moves the locking mechanismfrom a locked position to an unlocked position. The shotgun may be anautoloading shotgun. The shotgun may comprise a magazine, and thelever-type fastening mechanism may couple the forearm to the magazine.The lever-type fastening mechanism may pivot outward from the forearm tomove from a first position where the forearm is coupled to the remainderof the shotgun to a second position where the forearm is uncoupled fromthe remainder of the shotgun.

According to another embodiment, a shotgun comprises: a forearm; and afastening mechanism that pivots no more than 180 degrees as thefastening mechanism moves between a first position where the forearm iscoupled to the remainder of the shotgun and a second position where theforearm is uncoupled from the remainder of the shotgun; wherein thefastening mechanism includes a sling mount. The sling mount may beclosed when the fastening mechanism is in the first position and thesling mount may be open when the fastening mechanism is in the secondposition. The fastening mechanism may be positioned on an underside ofthe forearm. The fastening mechanism may include a locking mechanismthat locks the fastening mechanism in the first position. The lockingmechanism may include a button that moves the locking mechanism betweena locked position and an unlocked position. The shotgun may be anautoloading shotgun. The shotgun may comprise a magazine, and theforearm may be coupled to the magazine when the fastening mechanism isin the first position. The fastening mechanism may pivot outward fromthe forearm as the fastening mechanism moves from the first position tothe second position. The fastening mechanism may be a lever-typefastening mechanism.

According to another embodiment, a shotgun comprises: a forearm; and afastening mechanism that couples the forearm to the remainder of theshotgun, the fastening mechanism including a sling mount; wherein thefastening mechanism moves between a first position where the forearm iscoupled to the remainder of the shotgun and the sling mount is closedand a second position where the forearm is uncoupled from the remainderof the shotgun and the sling mount is open. The sling mount may be on afront end of the forearm. The fastening mechanism may be a lever-typefastening mechanism. The fastening mechanism may pivot no more than 180degrees as the fastening mechanism moves between the first position andthe second position. The fastening mechanism may be positioned on anunderside of the forearm. The fastening mechanism may include a lockingmechanism that locks the fastening mechanism in the first position. Thelocking mechanism may include a button that moves, the locking mechanismfrom a locked position to an unlocked position. The shotgun may be anautoloading shotgun. The shotgun may comprise a magazine, and theforearm may be coupled to the magazine when the fastening mechanism isin the first position. The fastening mechanism may pivot outward fromthe forearm as the fastening mechanism moves from the first position tothe second position.

According to another embodiment, an autoloading shotgun comprises: aforearm; and a lever-type fastening mechanism that couples the forearmto the remainder of the autoloading shotgun. The lever-type fasteningmechanism may include a sling mount. The lever-type fastening mechanismmay pivot no more than 180 degrees as the lever-type fastening mechanismmoves between a first position where the forearm is coupled to theremainder of the autoloading shotgun and a second position where theforearm is uncoupled from the remainder of the autoloading shotgun. Thelever-type fastening mechanism may be positioned on an underside of theforearm. The lever-type fastening mechanism may include a lockingmechanism that locks the lever-type fastening mechanism in place whenthe forearm is coupled to the remainder of the shotgun. The lockingmechanism may include a button that moves the locking mechanism from alocked position to an unlocked position. The autoloading shotgun maycomprise a magazine, and the lever-type fastening mechanism may couplethe forearm to the magazine. The lever-type fastening mechanism maypivot outward from the forearm to move from a first position where theforearm is coupled to the remainder of the shotgun to a second positionwhere the forearm is uncoupled from the remainder of the shotgun.

According to another embodiment, an autoloading shotgun comprises: aforearm; and a fastening mechanism that pivots no more than 180 degreesas the fastening mechanism moves between a first position where theforearm is coupled to the remainder of the autoloading shotgun and asecond position where the forearm is uncoupled from the remainder of theautoloading shotgun. The fastening mechanism may include a sling mount.The fastening mechanism may be a lever-type fastening mechanism. Thefastening mechanism may be positioned on an underside of the forearm.The fastening mechanism may include a locking mechanism that locks thefastening mechanism in the first position. The locking mechanism mayinclude a button that moves the locking mechanism from a locked positionto an unlocked position. The autoloading shotgun may comprise amagazine, and the forearm may be coupled to the magazine when thefastening mechanism is in the first position. The fastening mechanismmay pivot outward from the forearm to move from the first position tothe second position.

According to another embodiment, a shotgun comprises: a forearm; amagazine; and a lever-type fastening mechanism that couples the forearmto the magazine. The lever-type fastening mechanism may pivot no morethan 180 degrees as the lever-type fastening mechanism moves between afirst position where the forearm is coupled to the magazine and a secondposition where the forearm is uncoupled from the magazine. Thelever-type fastening mechanism may include a sling mount. The lever-typefastening mechanism may be positioned on an underside of the forearm.The lever-type fastening mechanism may include a locking mechanism thatlocks the lever-type fastening mechanism in place when the forearm iscoupled to the magazine. The locking mechanism includes a button thatmoves the locking mechanism from a locked position to an unlockedposition. The shotgun may be an autoloading shotgun. The lever-typefastening mechanism may pivot outward from the forearm to move from afirst position where the forearm is coupled to the magazine to a secondposition where the forearm is uncoupled from the magazine.

According to another embodiment, a shotgun comprises: a forearm; amagazine; and a fastening mechanism that pivots no more than 180 degreesas the fastening mechanism moves between a first position where theforearm is coupled to the magazine and a second position where theforearm is uncoupled from the magazine. The fastening mechanism may be alever-type fastening mechanism. The fastening mechanism may include asling mount. The fastening mechanism may be positioned on an undersideof the forearm. The fastening mechanism may include a locking mechanismthat locks the fastening mechanism in the first position. The lockingmechanism may include a button that moves the locking mechanism from alocked position to an unlocked position. The shotgun may be anautoloading shotgun. The fastening mechanism may pivot outward from theforearm to move from the first position to the second position.

According to another embodiment, an autoloading shotgun comprises: aforearm; and a fastening mechanism that couples the forearm to theremainder of the autoloading shotgun; wherein the fastening mechanism ispositioned on an underside of the forearm. The fastening mechanism maypivot no more than 180 degrees as the fastening mechanism moves betweena first position where the forearm is coupled to the remainder of theautoloading shotgun and a second position where the forearm is uncoupledfrom the remainder of the autoloading shotgun. The fastening mechanismmay include a sling mount. The fastening mechanism may be a lever-typefastening mechanism. The fastening mechanism may include a lockingmechanism that locks the fastening mechanism in place when the forearmis coupled to the remainder of the autoloading shotgun. The lockingmechanism may include a button that moves the locking mechanism from alocked position to an unlocked position. The autoloading shotgun maycomprise a magazine, and the fastening mechanism may couple the forearmto the magazine. The fastening mechanism may pivot outward from theunderside of the forearm to move from a first position where the forearmis coupled to the remainder of the autoloading shotgun to a secondposition where the forearm is uncoupled from the remainder of theautoloading shotgun.

According to another embodiment, a shotgun comprises: a forearm; and afastening mechanism that moves between a first position where theforearm is coupled to the remainder of the shotgun and a second positionwhere the forearm is uncoupled from the remainder of the shotgun, thefastening mechanism including a locking mechanism that locks thefastening mechanism in the first position. The locking mechanism mayinclude a button that moves the locking mechanism between a lockedposition and an unlocked position. The button may be positioned on anunderside of the forearm. The fastening mechanism may include a leverand a pin, the lever being used to move the fastening mechanism betweenthe first position and the second position, wherein the pin is biasedinto a hole in the lever to lock the fastening mechanism in the firstposition. The fastening mechanism may pivot no more than 180 degrees asthe fastening mechanism moves between the first position and the secondposition. The fastening mechanism may include a sling mount. Thefastening mechanism may be positioned on an underside of the forearm.The shotgun may be an autoloading shotgun. The shotgun may comprise amagazine, and the forearm may be coupled to the magazine when thefastening mechanism is in the first position. The fastening mechanismmay pivot outward from the forearm as the fastening mechanism moves fromthe first position to the second position. The fastening mechanism maybe a lever-type fastening mechanism.

According to another embodiment, a shotgun comprises: a forearm; and afastening mechanism including a catch configured to move between a firstposition where the catch holds the forearm and the remainder of theshotgun together and a second position where the catch allows theforearm to be separated from the remainder of the shotgun, the catchbeing biased to the second position; and a lever that is separate fromthe catch and pivots to move the catch between the first position andthe second position. The amount of force needed to pivot the lever andthereby move the catch between the first position and the secondposition initially increases, reaches a maximum, and then decreases. Thelever may be positioned on an underside of the forearm. The fasteningmechanism may include a sling mount. The shotgun may be an autoloadingshotgun. The shotgun may comprise a magazine, and the catch may hold theforearm and the magazine together when the catch is in the firstposition. The lever may pivot outward from the forearm to move the catchfrom the first position to the second position.

According to another embodiment, a method of disassembling a shotguncomprises: unlocking a fastening mechanism that couples a forearm of theshotgun to the remainder of the shotgun; and moving the fasteningmechanism from a first position where the forearm is coupled to theremainder of the shotgun to a second position where the forearm isuncoupled from the remainder of the shotgun. The method may comprisepushing a button to unlock the fastening mechanism. The fasteningmechanism may pivot no more than 180 degrees as the fastening mechanismmoves from the first position to the second position. The fasteningmechanism may be a lever-type fastening mechanism. The fasteningmechanism may pivot outward from the forearm of the shotgun as thefastening mechanism moves from the first position to the secondposition. The fastening mechanism may include a sling mount, and thesling mount may be closed when the fastening mechanism is in the firstposition and the sling mount is open when the fastening mechanism is inthe second position.

According to another embodiment, a method of disassembling a shotguncomprises: pivoting a fastening mechanism that couples a forearm of theshotgun to the remainder of the shotgun no more than 180 degrees to movethe fastening mechanism from a first position where the forearm iscoupled to the remainder of the shotgun to a second position where theforearm is uncoupled from the remainder of the shotgun. The method maycomprise unlocking the fastening mechanism. The fastening mechanism maybe a lever-type fastening mechanism. The fastening mechanism may pivotoutward from the forearm of the shotgun as the fastening mechanism movesfrom the first position to the second position. The fastening mechanismmay include a sling mount, and the sling mount may be closed when thefastening mechanism is in the first position and the sling mount is openwhen the fastening mechanism is in the second position.

In one embodiment, a shotgun comprises: a forearm removably coupled tothe remainder of the shotgun; and a fastening mechanism that rotates nomore than 180 degrees between a first position where the forearm iscoupled to the remainder of the shotgun and a second position where theforearm is uncoupled from the remainder of the shotgun; wherein thefastening mechanism is positioned at a front end of the forearm. Thefastening mechanism may include a sling mount. The fastening mechanismmay move toward the forearm as the fastening mechanism rotates betweenthe first position and the second position. The fastening mechanism mayinclude a spring that biases the fastening mechanism outward from theforearm. The shotgun may comprise a magazine, and the fasteningmechanism may include an anchor that is shaped to be received in a holein the magazine, and the anchor may be positioned so that it is unableto exit the hole when the fastening mechanism is in the first positionand the anchor is positioned so that it is able to exit the hole whenthe fastening mechanism is in the second position.

According to another embodiment, a shotgun comprises: a magazine; aforearm removably coupled to the magazine; and a fastening mechanismincluding an anchor that is shaped to be received in a hole in themagazine; wherein the anchor rotates between a first position where theanchor is unable to exit the hole so that the forearm is coupled to themagazine and a second position where the anchor is able to exit the holeso that the forearm is uncoupled from the magazine. The hole may be in afront end of the magazine. The magazine may include a spring retainerassembly, and the hole may be in the spring retainer assembly. The holemay have an elongated shape. The fastening mechanism may include a slingmount. The fastening mechanism may move toward the forearm as the anchorrotates between the first position and the second position. Thefastening mechanism may include a spring that biases the fasteningmechanism outward from the forearm. The fastening mechanism may bepositioned at a front end of the forearm.

According to another embodiment, a shotgun comprises: a forearmremovably coupled to the remainder of the shotgun; and a fasteningmechanism that moves between a first position where the forearm iscoupled to the remainder of the shotgun and a second position where theforearm is uncoupled from the remainder of the shotgun; wherein thefastening mechanism is coupled to the remainder of the shotgun withoutusing corresponding threaded parts. The fastening mechanism may includea sling mount. The fastening mechanism may move toward the forearm asthe fastening mechanism moves between the first position and the secondposition. The fastening mechanism may include a spring that biases thefastening mechanism outward from the forearm. The shotgun may comprise amagazine, and the fastening mechanism may include an anchor that isshaped to be received in a hole in the magazine, and the anchor may bepositioned so that it is unable to exit the hole when the fasteningmechanism is in the first position and the anchor is positioned so thatit is able to exit the hole when the fastening mechanism is in thesecond position. The fastening mechanism may be positioned at a frontend of the forearm. The fastening mechanism may rotate no more than 180degrees as the fastening mechanism moves between the first position andthe second position.

According to one embodiment, a shotgun comprises: a forearm including atip that moves separately from the remainder of the forearm; and afastening mechanism; wherein moving the tip lengthwise forward moves thefastening mechanism from a first position where the forearm is coupledto the remainder of the shotgun to a second position where the forearmis uncoupled from the remainder of the shotgun. The shotgun may comprisea fastening member that rotates as the tip moves lengthwise forward. Thefastening mechanism may include an anchor, the anchor being positionedto hold the forearm and the remainder of the shotgun together when thefastening mechanism is in the first position. The shotgun may comprise amagazine, the fastening mechanism may include an anchor that is receivedby a hole in the magazine to couple the forearm to the magazine, theanchor being configured to rotate as the fastening mechanism movesbetween the first position and the second position. The hole may be in afront end of the magazine. The magazine may include a spring retainerassembly, and the hole may be in the spring retainer assembly.

According to another embodiment, a shotgun comprises: a forearmincluding a tip that moves lengthwise separate from the remainder of theforearm; and a fastening mechanism that moves between a first positionwhere the forearm is coupled to the remainder of the shotgun and asecond position where the forearm is uncoupled from the remainder of theshotgun, the fastening mechanism including a fastening member; whereinthe tip of the forearm moves forward to rotate the fastening member andmove the fastening mechanism between the first position and the secondposition. The fastening mechanism may be biased to the first position.The fastening mechanism may include an anchor, the anchor beingpositioned to hold the forearm and the remainder of the shotgun togetherwhen the fastening mechanism is in the first position. The shotgun maycomprise a magazine, the fastening mechanism may include an anchor thatis received by a hole in the magazine to couple the forearm to themagazine, the anchor being configured to rotate as the fasteningmechanism moves between the first position and the second position. Thehole may be in a front end of the magazine. The magazine may include aspring retainer assembly, and the hole may be in the spring retainerassembly.

In one embodiment, a magazine plug is configured to be positioned in amagazine of a shotgun to reduce the capacity of the magazine, whereinone end of the magazine plug has an elongated cross-sectional shape. Themagazine plug may have an elongated cross-sectional shape along theentire length of the magazine plug. The one end may include a recess toreceive a tool to facilitate positioning the magazine plug in themagazine of the shotgun. The one end may be a first end and the magazineplug may include a second end, wherein the elongated cross-sectionalshape of the first end allows the first end to pass through an elongatedopening when the first end is oriented parallel to the elongated openingand prevents the first end from passing through the elongated openingwhen the first end is oriented perpendicular to the elongated opening.The one end may be a first end and the magazine plug may include asecond end, wherein the first end and the second end are sized so thatthe second end can fit through any opening that the first end can fitthrough but the first end cannot fit through any opening that the secondend can fit through.

According to another embodiment, a magazine plug is configured to bepositioned in a magazine of a shotgun to reduce the capacity of themagazine, and the magazine plug has a cross-sectional shape whereopposite sides of the cross-sectional shape do not correspond to eachother when the cross-sectional shape is divided along any straight linethat extends perpendicularly through a center axis of the magazine plug.The magazine plug may comprise a first end and a second end, wherein thefirst end and the second end are sized so that the second end can fitthrough any opening that the first end can fit through but the first endcannot fit through any opening that the second end can fit through. Thecross-sectional shape may be at the first end of the magazine plug. Themagazine plug may comprise a first end that includes a recess to receivea tool to facilitate positioning the magazine plug in the magazine ofthe shotgun. The magazine plug may comprise a first end and a secondend, wherein the cross-sectional shape is at the first end of themagazine plug, and wherein the cross-sectional shape is an elongatedshape that allows the first end to pass through an elongated openingwhen the first end is oriented parallel to the elongated opening andprevents the first end from passing through the elongated opening whenthe first end is oriented perpendicular to the elongated opening. Thecross-sectional shape may be at a first end of the magazine plug. Thecross-sectional shape may be an elongated shape.

According to another embodiment, a shotgun comprises: a receiver; abarrel coupled to the receiver; a magazine coupled to the receiver, themagazine extending forwardly away from the receiver in a direction thatis parallel to the barrel; and a spring positioned in the magazine tobias shotshells toward the receiver; wherein the shotgun is configuredto receive a magazine plug through a front end of the magazine while thespring is retained inside the magazine; and wherein the shotgun isconfigured so that rotating the magazine plug moves it between a firstorientation where the magazine plug can move longitudinally into and outof the magazine and a second orientation where the magazine plug isprevented from moving longitudinally out of the magazine. The shotgunmay comprise a spring retainer assembly positioned at the front end ofthe magazine, the spring retainer assembly being configured to retainthe spring inside the magazine, the spring retainer assembly includingan opening to receive the magazine plug, wherein the shotgun isconfigured to receive the magazine plug through the opening in thespring retainer assembly while the spring retainer assembly remains inplace at the front end of the magazine. The shotgun front end of themagazine may be configured to receive the magazine plug while retainingthe spring inside the magazine. The shotgun may have an opening that ispositioned at the front end of the magazine and is sized to receive themagazine plug and to prevent the spring from moving out of the magazinethrough the opening. The shotgun may be configured to receive themagazine plug into the magazine so that the magazine plug is positionedinside and parallel to the spring. The shotgun may have an automaticaction. The automatic action may be gas-operated.

According to another embodiment, a method comprises: inserting amagazine plug at least part way into a magazine of a shotgun; androtating the magazine plug from a first orientation where the magazineplug can move longitudinally into and out of the magazine to a secondorientation where the magazine plug is prevented from movinglongitudinally out of the magazine. The method may comprisedisassembling the shotgun at least in part to allow the magazine plug tobe inserted at least part way into the magazine. Disassembling theshotgun may include removing a magazine cap. Disassembling the shotgunmay include removing a forearm of the shotgun. The magazine plug may beinserted into an opening in the magazine that is shaped to allow themagazine plug to move longitudinally into and out of the magazine in thefirst orientation and to prevent the magazine plug from movinglongitudinally out of the magazine in the second orientation. Themagazine plug may have an elongated cross-sectional shape and theopening may have an elongated shape, wherein the magazine plug ispositioned parallel to the opening in the first orientation to allow themagazine to move longitudinally into and out of the magazine, andwherein the magazine plug is positioned perpendicular to the opening inthe second orientation to prevent the magazine plug from movinglongitudinally out of the magazine. The magazine may include a springthat is configured to bias shotshells toward a receiver of the shotgun,and the spring may be retained inside the magazine as the magazine plugis inserted at least part way into the magazine. The magazine plug maybe inserted through a front end of the magazine. The magazine plug maybe positioned inside and parallel to a spring in the magazine, thespring being configured to bias shotshells toward a receiver of theshotgun.

In one embodiment, a shotgun comprises: a chamber; a magazine; and anaction including a bolt assembly; wherein the action is configured tomove a shotshell from the magazine to the chamber when the shotshell isinserted into the magazine and released; and wherein the action isconfigured to allow shotshells to be removed from the magazine withoutmoving the bolt assembly. The action may be configured to move theshotshell from the magazine to the chamber when the shotshell isinserted into the magazine and released, and the magazine is empty. Theaction may be configured to move the shotshell from the magazine to thechamber when the shotshell is inserted into the magazine through aloading port and released. The loading port may be on an underside ofthe shotgun. The action may be configured to move the shotshell from themagazine to the chamber when the shotshell is inserted into the magazinethrough a loading port and released, and the action is open. The actionmay be configured to move the shotshell from the magazine to the chamberwhen the shotshell is inserted into the magazine through a loading portand released, the magazine is empty, and the action is open. The actionmay be configured to allow shotshells to be removed from the magazinewithout moving the bolt assembly. The action may be configured to allowshotshells to be removed from the magazine through a loading portwithout moving the bolt assembly. The loading port may be on anunderside of the shotgun.

According to another embodiment, a shotgun comprises: a chamber; amagazine; and an action configured to move between a closed position andan open position where the action is held in position, the actionincluding: a carrier including a first component that is used to holdthe action in the open position and a second component that ispositioned to cover a loading port of the shotgun; a carrier latch thatmoves between a first position where the carrier latch cooperates withthe first component of the carrier to hold the action in the openposition and a second position where the carrier latch allows the actionto move from the open position to the closed position; and a cartridgestop that moves between a first position where the cartridge stopprevents shotshells from moving out of the magazine and a secondposition where the cartridge stop allows the shotshells to move out ofthe magazine; wherein the second component of the carrier is pivotablycoupled to the first component of the carrier to allow a shotshell to beinserted into the magazine when the action is in the open position; andwherein the cartridge stop moves independently of the carrier latch. Thecartridge stop may move from the first position to the second positionindependently of the carrier latch. The cartridge stop may move from thefirst position to the second position without moving the carrier latch.The cartridge stop may be in the second position when the action is inthe open position and the magazine is empty. The cartridge stop and thecarrier latch may be pivotably coupled together. The cartridge stop maymove independently of the carrier latch when the carrier latch is in thefirst position.

According to another embodiment, a shotgun comprises: a chamber; amagazine; and an action configured to move shotshells from the magazineto the chamber, the action including a cartridge stop which movesbetween a first position where the cartridge stop prevents theshotshells from moving out of the magazine and a second position wherethe cartridge stop allows the shotshells to move out of the magazine;wherein the cartridge stop moves independently of the remainder of theaction; and wherein the cartridge stop is positioned in the secondposition when the action is fixed in an open position. The cartridgestop may move from the first position to the second positionindependently of the remainder of the action. The cartridge stop maymove from the first position to the second position without moving theremainder of the action. The cartridge stop may be positioned in thesecond position when the action is in the open position and the magazineis empty. The action may include a carrier that is configured to allow ashotshell to be inserted into the magazine when the action is fixed inthe open position. The carrier may include a first component that isconfigured to hold the action in the open position and a secondcomponent that is positioned to cover a loading port of the shotgun, andwherein the second component is pivotably coupled to the first componentto allow a shotshell to be inserted into the magazine when the action isfixed in the open position.

According to another embodiment, a shotgun comprises: a chamber; amagazine; and an action including a bolt assembly; wherein the action isconfigured to automatically move a shotshell from the magazine to thechamber when the shotshell is inserted into the magazine; and whereinthe action is configured to allow shotshells to be removed from themagazine without moving the bolt assembly.

In one embodiment, a gas-operated firearm comprises: an action; acylinder that fills with high pressure gas when a cartridge is fired,the cylinder including a wall; a piston positioned in the cylinder andconfigured to move in response to the high pressure gas in the cylinder,the piston supplying force to operate the action of the firearm; and aresilient member positioned between the piston and the wall of thecylinder to prevent the high pressure gas from escaping between thepiston and the wall of the cylinder; wherein the resilient member andany surface that the resilient member is in contact with do not moverelative to each other when the piston moves. The action may be anautomatic action. The resilient member may be positioned between asealing ring and either the piston or the wall of the cylinder, and thesealing ring may move with the resilient member as the piston moves. Thesealing ring may be in contact with a surface, and the sealing ring andthe surface that is in contact with the sealing ring move relative toeach other when the piston moves. The resilient member may be positionedin a recess in the piston or the wall of the cylinder. A sealing ringmay cover the resilient member in the recess. The resilient member maybe positioned in a recess in the piston and a sealing ring may bepositioned between the resilient member and the wall of the cylinder.The resilient member may be positioned in a recess in the wall of thecylinder and a sealing ring is positioned between the resilient memberand the piston. The piston may include a valve that opens when excessivepressure is in the cylinder, the resilient member being positionedbetween the valve and the wall of the cylinder.

According to another embodiment, a gas-operated shotgun comprises: anaction; a magazine; a cylinder that fills with high pressure gas when acartridge is fired, the magazine forming at least part of the cylinder,the cylinder including a wall; a piston positioned in the cylinder andconfigured to move in response to the high pressure gas in the cylinder,the piston supplying force to operate the action of the shotgun; and aresilient member positioned between the piston and the wall of thecylinder to prevent the high pressure gas from escaping between thepiston and the wall of the cylinder, the resilient member being incontact with one or more surfaces; wherein none of the one or moresurfaces and the resilient member move relative to each other when thepiston moves. The action may be an automatic action. The resilientmember may be positioned between a sealing ring and either the piston orthe wall of the cylinder, and the sealing ring may move with theresilient member as the piston moves. The sealing ring may be in contactwith a surface, and the sealing ring and the surface that is in contactwith the sealing ring may move relative to each other when the pistonmoves. The resilient member may be positioned between the piston and themagazine that forms at least part of the cylinder. The resilient membermay be positioned in a recess in the piston or the wall of the cylinder.A sealing ring may cover the resilient member in the recess. Theresilient member may be positioned in a recess in the piston and asealing ring may be positioned between the resilient member and the wallof the cylinder. The resilient member may be positioned in a recess inthe wall of the cylinder and a sealing ring may be positioned betweenthe resilient member and the piston. The piston may include a valve thatopens when excessive pressure is in the cylinder, the resilient memberbeing positioned between the valve and the wall of the cylinder.

According to another embodiment, a gas-operated shotgun comprises: areceiver; a barrel coupled to the receiver; a magazine coupled to thereceiver and configured to hold shotshells; a cylinder that fills withhigh pressure gas when a cartridge is fired, the cylinder having anannular shape and including an interior wall and an exterior wall, themagazine forming at least part of the interior wall; a bracket thatchannels the high pressure gas from the barrel to the cylinder, thebracket forming at least part of the exterior wall of the cylinder; apiston positioned in the cylinder and configured to move in response tothe high pressure gas in the cylinder, the piston supplying force tooperate an action of the shotgun; and a resilient member positionedbetween the piston and either the interior wall of the cylinder or theexterior wall of the cylinder, the resilient member being configured toprevent the high pressure gas from escaping from the cylinder; whereinthe resilient member and any surface that the resilient member is incontact with do not move relative to each other when the piston moves.The action may be an automatic action. The resilient member may bepositioned between the piston and the interior wall of the cylinder. Theresilient member may be positioned between a sealing ring and either thepiston, the interior wall of the cylinder, or the exterior wall of thecylinder, and wherein the sealing ring moves with the resilient memberas the piston moves. The sealing ring may be in contact with a surface,and the sealing ring and the surface that is in contact with the sealingring may move relative to each other when the piston moves. Theresilient member may be positioned between the sealing ring and thepiston. The resilient member may be positioned between the sealing ringand the interior wall of the cylinder. The resilient member may bepositioned between the sealing ring and the exterior wall of thecylinder. The resilient member may be positioned between the piston andthe magazine that forms at least part of the cylinder. The resilientmember may be positioned in a recess in the piston, the interior wall ofthe cylinder, or the exterior wall of the cylinder. A sealing ring maycover the resilient member in the recess. The resilient member may bepositioned in a recess in the piston and a sealing ring may bepositioned between the resilient member and either the interior wall ofthe cylinder or the exterior wall of the cylinder. The resilient membermay be positioned in a recess in either the interior wall of thecylinder or the exterior wall of the cylinder, and wherein a sealingring is positioned between the resilient member and the piston. Thepiston may include a valve that opens when excessive pressure is in thecylinder, the resilient member being positioned between the valve andthe interior wall of the cylinder.

The terms recited in the claims should be given their ordinary andcustomary meaning as determined by reference to relevant entries (e.g.,definition of “plane” as a carpenter's tool would not be relevant to theuse of the term “plane” when used to refer to an airplane, etc.) indictionaries (e.g., widely used general reference dictionaries and/orrelevant technical dictionaries), commonly understood meanings by thosein the art, etc., with the understanding that the broadest meaningimparted by any one or combination of these sources should be given tothe claim terms (e.g., two or more relevant dictionary entries should becombined to provide the broadest meaning of the combination of entries,etc.) subject only to the following exceptions: (a) if a term is usedherein in a manner more expansive than its ordinary and customarymeaning, the term should be given its ordinary and customary meaningplus the additional expansive meaning, or (b) if a term has beenexplicitly defined to have a different meaning by reciting the termfollowed by the phrase “as used herein shall mean” or similar language(e.g., “herein this term means,” “as defined herein,” “for the purposesof this disclosure [the term] shall mean,” etc.). References to specificexamples, use of “i.e.,” use of the word “invention,” etc., are notmeant to invoke exception (b) or otherwise restrict the scope of therecited claim terms. Other than situations where exception (b) applies,nothing contained herein should be considered a disclaimer or disavowalof claim scope. The subject matter recited in the claims is notcoextensive with and should not be interpreted to be coextensive withany particular embodiment, feature, or combination of features shownherein. This is true even if only a single embodiment of the particularfeature or combination of features is illustrated and described herein.Thus, the appended claims should be read to be given their broadestinterpretation in view of the prior art and the ordinary meaning of theclaim terms.

As used herein, spatial or directional terms, such as “left,” “right,”“front,” “back,” and the like, relate to the subject matter as it isshown in the drawing FIGS. However, it is to be understood that thesubject matter described herein may assume various alternativeorientations and, accordingly, such terms are not to be considered aslimiting. Furthermore, as used herein (i.e., in the claims and thespecification), articles such as “the,” “a,” and “an” can connote thesingular or plural. Also, as used herein, the word “or” when usedwithout a preceding “either” (or other similar language indicating that“or” is unequivocally meant to be exclusive—e.g., only one of x or y,etc.) shall be interpreted to be inclusive (e.g., “x or y” means one orboth x or y). Likewise, as used herein, the term “and/or” shall also beinterpreted to be inclusive (e.g., “x and/or y” means one or both x ory). In situations where “and/or” or “or” are used as a conjunction for agroup of three or more items, the group should be interpreted to includeone item alone, all of the items together, or any combination or numberof the items. Moreover, terms used in the specification and claims suchas have, having, include, and including should be construed to besynonymous with the terms comprise and comprising.

Unless otherwise indicated, all numbers or expressions, such as thoseexpressing dimensions, physical characteristics, etc. used in thespecification (other than the claims) are understood as modified in allinstances by the term “approximately.” At the very least, and not as anattempt to limit the application of the doctrine of equivalents to theclaims, each numerical parameter recited in the specification or claimswhich is modified by the term “approximately” should at least beconstrued in light of the number of recited significant digits and byapplying ordinary rounding techniques. Moreover, all ranges disclosedherein are to be understood to encompass and provide support for claimsthat recite any and all subranges or any and all individual valuessubsumed therein. For example, a stated range of 1 to 10 should beconsidered to include and provide support for claims that recite any andall subranges or individual values that are between and/or inclusive ofthe minimum value of 1 and the maximum value of 10; that is, allsubranges beginning with a minimum value of 1 or more and ending with amaximum value of 10 or less (e.g., 5.5 to 10, 2.34 to 3.56, and soforth) or any values from 1 to 10 (e.g., 3, 5.8, 9.9994, and so forth).

1. A shotgun comprising: a chamber; a magazine; and an action includinga bolt assembly; wherein the action is configured to move a shotshellfrom the magazine to the chamber when the shotshell is inserted into themagazine and released; and wherein the action is configured to allowshotshells to be removed from the magazine without moving the boltassembly.
 2. The shotgun of claim 1 wherein the action is configured tomove the shotshell from the magazine to the chamber when the shotshellis inserted into the magazine and released, and the magazine is empty.3. The shotgun of claim 1 wherein the action is configured to move theshotshell from the magazine to the chamber when the shotshell isinserted into the magazine through a loading port and released.
 4. Theshotgun of claim 3 wherein the loading port is on an underside of theshotgun.
 5. The shotgun of claim 1 wherein the action is configured tomove the shotshell from the magazine to the chamber when the shotshellis inserted into the magazine through a loading port and released, andthe action is open.
 6. The shotgun of claim 1 wherein the action isconfigured to move the shotshell from the magazine to the chamber whenthe shotshell is inserted into the magazine through a loading port andreleased, the magazine is empty, and the action is open.
 7. The shotgunof claim 1 wherein the action is configured to allow shotshells to beremoved from the magazine without moving the bolt assembly.
 8. Theshotgun of claim 7 wherein the action is configured to allow shotshellsto be removed from the magazine through a loading port without movingthe bolt assembly.
 9. The shotgun of claim 8 wherein the loading port ison an underside of the shotgun.
 10. A shotgun comprising: a chamber; amagazine; and an action configured to move between a closed position andan open position where the action is held in position, the actionincluding: a carrier including a first component that is used to holdthe action in the open position and a second component that ispositioned to cover a loading port of the shotgun; a carrier latch thatmoves between a first position where the carrier latch cooperates withthe first component of the carrier to hold the action in the openposition and a second position where the carrier latch allows the actionto move from the open position to the closed position; and a cartridgestop that moves between a first position where the cartridge stopprevents shotshells from moving out of the magazine and a secondposition where the cartridge stop allows the shotshells to move out ofthe magazine; wherein the second component of the carrier is pivotablycoupled to the first component of the carrier to allow a shotshell to beinserted into the magazine when the action is in the open position; andwherein the cartridge stop moves independently of the carrier latch. 11.The shotgun of claim 10 wherein the cartridge stop moves from the firstposition to the second position independently of the carrier latch. 12.The shotgun of claim 10 wherein the cartridge stop moves from the firstposition to the second position without moving the carrier latch. 13.The shotgun of claim 10 wherein the cartridge stop is in the secondposition when the action is in the open position and the magazine isempty.
 14. The shotgun of claim 10 wherein the cartridge stop and thecarrier latch are pivotably coupled together.
 15. The shotgun of claim10 wherein the cartridge stop moves independently of the carrier latchwhen the carrier latch is in the first position.
 16. A shotguncomprising: a chamber; a magazine; and an action configured to moveshotshells from the magazine to the chamber, the action including acartridge stop which moves between a first position where the cartridgestop prevents the shotshells from moving out of the magazine and asecond position where the cartridge stop allows the shotshells to moveout of the magazine; wherein the cartridge stop moves independently ofthe remainder of the action; and wherein the cartridge stop ispositioned in the second position when the action is fixed in an openposition.
 17. The shotgun of claim 16 wherein the cartridge stop movesfrom the first position to the second position independently of theremainder of the action.
 18. The shotgun of claim 16 wherein thecartridge stop moves from the first position to the second positionwithout moving the remainder of the action.
 19. The shotgun of claim 16wherein the cartridge stop is positioned in the second position when theaction is in the open position and the magazine is empty.
 20. Theshotgun of claim 16 wherein the action includes a carrier that isconfigured to allow a shotshell to be inserted into the magazine whenthe action is fixed in the open position.
 21. The shotgun of claim 20wherein the carrier includes a first component that is configured tohold the action in the open position and a second component that ispositioned to cover a loading port of the shotgun, and wherein thesecond component is pivotably coupled to the first component to allow ashotshell to be inserted into the magazine when the action is fixed inthe open position.
 22. A shotgun comprising: a chamber; a magazine; andan action including a bolt assembly; wherein the action is configured toautomatically move a shotshell from the magazine to the chamber when theshotshell is inserted into the magazine; and wherein the action isconfigured to allow shotshells to be removed from the magazine withoutmoving the bolt assembly.